A Possible Future
by Yelroc
Summary: It is two and a half years after chapter 238 of the manga or episode 135 of the anime. What possibilities are there?
1. Chapter One

A Possible Future by Jason Corley

DISCLAIMER

I do not own Naruto. Do not attempt to make money off of the original story or off my work unless you get permission. Thank You.

NOTE

This fanfiction is written following chapter 238 of the manga.

For an idea of where the story is, chapter215 of the manga is about episode126 of the anime.

So if you have not read the manga and don't want the story ruined don't read any further in this fanfiction.

This story will contain at least a few spoilers if not several. You have been warned.

I am operating under the assumption that the characters aged through the manga chapters 1-238. Let us assume that at the end of chapter 238 they had all aged by one year from chapter 1. Thus the rookie 9 are all 13 instead of still 12. Follow the idea respectively with the rest of the characters.

The current timeline is two and a half years after chapter 238. So the rookie 9 are 15-16 years old. All references to time are in regards to this current time I have set. Some parts the characters will talk about times that happen after chapter 238 but before the main timeline of the story.

END NOTE

* * *

Chapter One 

Naruto walked into the usual ramen shop he frequented. Iruka was there. Naruto sat down next to him and ordered a bowl of ramen. Iruka looked over at Naruto and thought about how he had changed since Naruto graduated the academy.

"Rumor has it you and Sakura have been seeing each other a lot lately." Iruka

Naruto nearly choked on his food.

"Where did you hear that." Naruto asked in is normal loud obnoxious voice.

"Its fairly well known considering you are dating the 5th's apprentice." Iruka

"Does everyone know about Sakura?" Naruto asked.

"Pretty much. She has become quite popular." Iruka

"Hehe. Sakura deserves it." Naruto

"And rumor also has it that she has turned down all that ask her out except you." Iruka

Naruto blushed and rubbed his head.

"Well we have been going out for about 2 years now. She has become a great medic-nin. You would expect it, training under the 5th." Naruto

"So how is your training coming along?" Iruka

"The pervert-hermit has taught me a lot." Naruto answered and started eating his ramen.

Iruka looked at Naruto with a worried expression and wonder what Jiraiya has been teaching Naruto.

* * *

Sakura and Ino were sitting in a little cafe having lunch. 

"Who would ever have thought that you would actually go out with Naruto and only Naruto for 2 years?" Ino

"Who would ever have thought that you would actually go out with Chouji for a whole year?" Sakura

"Well, he's better than Shikamaru." Ino

"Isn't he dating Temari?" Sakura asked

"She can have him. I couldn't stand his attitude towards women. I don't know how she can put up with him." Ino replied.

* * *

Akamaru barks as he and Kiba approach Shino. 

"Alright. Today is the day." Kiba announced

Shino just looked at Kiba through his sun glasses.

"Today is the day I will ask Hinata to go out with me." Kiba.

Shino continued to look at Kiba and felt sorry for Kiba knowing how much she cares for Naruto

* * *

"You don't have a mission in the hidden village of the leaf. Why are you going." Kankuro 

"Because I feel like it." Temari

"You're going to see him, aren't you?" Kankuro

"And what if I am. Its not any of your business." Temari replied.

"He isn't good enough for you. He's a lazy piece of trash." Kankuro

"But he out ranks you and you are 2 years older than him." Temari

"I could still beat him in a fight." Kankuro

"I wouldn't be so sure." Temari

* * *

AAAAACHOU 

"Someone must be talking about you." Chouji.

"How troublesome." Shikamaru.

* * *

"Why do you insist on following Naruto?" Neji 

Hinata didn't say anything.

Neji sighed then put on his Chuunin Jacket before heading off to see what mission he was to be sent on.

Hinata wished that she was good enough to wear the Jacket of a Chuunin. She then left to walk around the village.

As Hinata walked along the streets felt that someone was following her. She quickened her pace. She felt that the person quickened there pace also. She finally turned around to face who was following her. When she turned around she was face to face with Kiba.

"Kiba?" Hinata asked surprised that he had not called out to her.

"I...uh...that is...will you go out with me?" Kiba stuttered to get out.

Hinata looked at her teammate. Who had participated in the final matches of the Chuunin Exam 3 times. The last time he didn't because again Naruto beat him. She considered him a very good friend and if her heart was not for Naruto only she would gladly go out with Kiba. But she just couldn't get herself to. It felt to much like she was betraying Naruto. Even though they weren't going out. And then there was that rumor that Naruto was seeing Sakura. But she thought they are just teammates, nothing more. She gave his question some more thought.

Kiba stood there sweating bullets. He was so nervous. The different facial expressions that Hinata made, made him think that she couldn't make up her mind but it looked like she was going to decide against dating him.

"You...you do know that Naruto is dating Sakura right?" Kiba asked in a nervous voice.

Hinata was actually considering going out with Kiba because she would want Naruto so say yes. But once Kiba said Naruto was dating Sakura, he lost all chances.

"I'm sorry. But I only see you as a good friend and team mate. I don't want to ruin what we have." Hinata said the line she had heard other girls say to boys they didn't want to go out with.

Kiba looked like he had been kicked in the gut. He just wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

Hinata said she was sorry and turned to continue on her way. She walked for a bit more and she still felt like she was still being followed. She turned around ready to tell Kiba to please quit following her. But when she turned around, she didn't see him. She only saw the crowd of people on the street. Hinata resumed walking. After a bit more of still feeling like she was being followed she activated her Byakugan then turned and scanned the streets. She didn't see anything out of the ordinary. She turned back around and continued walking. She still felt like she was being followed but she couldn't tell if anyone person was following her. She would turn around every so often but she never saw the same person there that had been there last time she looked. She finally deactivated her Byakugan and walked on with the persistent feel of being followed. She finally came to a corner and stopped. She peeked around the corner at the ramen shop Naruto was in. She then listened in on Naruto and Iruka's conversation as she watched Naruto.

"If you would just use your head more and not charge in all the time I'm sure they would promote you to Chuunin." Iruka

"I wont change because that is my way of the ninja." Naruto

"Naruto. Even though you grow stronger everyday training with Jiraiya. Unless you learn to use your head they wont promote you. While a Chuunin's individual strength is important and it does have to be a certain level. What is more important is there ability to lead." Iruka

"Then why was fuzzy eyebrows promoted to Chuunin? He's not a leader." Naruto.

"While Lee does act like Gai he does think about his actions more than many think. When he was teamed with Neji and Tenten, Neji was there team leader but Lee also makes a good leader. And so does Tenten. That is why all of them are Chuunins." Iruka explained.

"Well what about Shino? He wasn't even the leader of his team. Kiba was and he's not a Chuunin." Naruto questioned.

"Kiba pushed to be leader. Both Shino and Hinata didn't care about leading. Kiba has a tendency to charge in like you do. Shino thinks about the situation more and conducts himself according to the situation. That is why he was promoted to Chuunin. Because he uses his head. I think Hinata would make Chuunin if she had more confidence in herself." Iruka said the last sentence louder than he had been talking and had turned so his voice would carry more in the direction of a certain corner.

Naruto looked a little put out.

"Maybe when Sakura makes Chuunin this time you will be little more inclined to use your head." Iruka said.

"Why would Sakura make Chuunin and not me?" Naruto asked.

Iruka looked a little disappointed that Naruto didn't understand that being a Chuunin doesn't mean you are stronger than a Genin. It means you have the skills needed to be a leader. That Chuunins are really just Genins that are leaders.

"While Sakura did lack the individual strength needed to be a Chuunin she has attained that strength and she has the wits required to be a Chuunin. If she had trained in fighting as much as you did she would already be a Chuunin. But because she has been training as a medic-nin instead, her progression was slower. But I fully expect her to be promoted to Chuunin at this next exam." Iruka said.

Naruto looked deep in thought.

"And if you are wondering about Chouji and Ino, I don't think they will make Chuunin this time because they just aren't displaying the attributes needed to be a Chuunin." Iruka said.

Naruto went back to eating his ramen. He didn't take note of the person who sat down next to him. After Naruto finished his ramen he and Iruka left the ramen shop.

Hinata made sure to stay hidden. When they had passed her location she was getting ready to follow but something made her stop and look back at the ramen shop. She didn't see anyone there. And she was sure that she saw someone sit down next to Naruto. She didn't let it bother her. She then started after Naruto.

* * *

"Do you think you will make Chuunin this time?" Ino asked Sakura. 

"Yes. I think so." Sakura answered.

"Do you think Naruto will?" Ino asked.

"Probably not. He never uses his head. He always just charges in." Sakura answered.

"Chouji and I wont be competing this time." Ino said.

"Why not? You've made it past the preliminaries every time. So why not?" Sakura asked.

"We obviously don't have what they want in a Chuunin. Why bother?" Ino said.

"That's exactly why you wont become a Chuunin. If you are just going to give up you will never make it." Sakura scolded.

Ino didn't say anything.

"Are you just giving up. You know that Sasuke isn't going to want someone that isn't a skillful ninja. Are you just giving up on Sasuke?" Sakura said trying to get Ino fired up.

"Yes. Yes, I am. I've given up on Sasuke and so should you. He's gone. He's not coming back." Ino responded heatedly.

Sakura slapped Ino across the face. Ino reeled from the hit. Ino turned with her hand to her cheek to face Sakura who had tears in her eyes. Ino realized that she had hit a nerve.

Ino started to walk away but stopped before doing so and said "You have Naruto now. He's not someone to be ashamed of anymore. It's ok that you like him. He's there for you. You shouldn't let that slip away. Be happy for what you have." Ino then walked out of the cafe she and Sakura were in.

Sakura sat back down. The tears wouldn't stop flowing. She continued to cry. She didn't want to admit that her feelings for Sasuke had started to diminish with him not there. She didn't want to admit that she had grown fond of Naruto. Not only for the skills he had learned but for his never give up attitude. After awhile the tears stopped and she walked out of the cafe to wander the streets of Konoha.

* * *

Shino saw Kiba walking towards him. Kiba looked up at Shino and realized he wasn't going to get any sympathy here. So Kiba decided to keep walking. Shino watch Kiba with a puzzled expression and decided to follow his friend who always said what was on his mind but for some reason wasn't this time. Shino felt this was the time when Kiba needed to talk the most instead of not talking.

* * *

Temari was proceeding towards the Hidden Leaf Village with some pep in her step. She wasn't sure why she was excited to be going there.

* * *

"I still think you and Ino should take the Chuunin Exam. But that is up to you." Shikamaru said. 

"Ino doesn't want to. And I'm not smart enough to be a Chuunin." Chouji answered.

"You can be one if you put your mind to it. You just have to work at it. I'm sure you can do it." Shikamaru said to his friend.

"Thanks. You are the only one to think I'd make a good ninja." Chouji.

Shikamaru looked at his friend and decided not to push on the topic since he knew that all the members of the team had to want to do the Chuunin Exam and he knew that Ino just was not going to do it this time.

* * *

Neji, Lee, and Tenten were searching the forest to the north east of the Country of Fire which borders the Country of Sound because there had been reports of increased activity in the Sound. Lee wore his Chuunin Jacket like Gai wore his. Neji favored the blue jumpsuit with the Chuunin Jacket when on missions. Tenten wore her usual garb under her Chuunin Jacket.

* * *

Hinata followed Naruto and Iruka for a ways. Naruto and Iruka finally went there separate ways. Naruto was heading towards his apartment. Hinata thought that this would be her chance to confess her feelings to Naruto. As they neared Naruto's apartment Hinata was about to go up to him when she saw Sakura standing outside Naruto's Apartment. Hinata decided instead to hide in a small alleyway and watch what happened. 

"Sakura. How..." Naruto didn't get to finish his sentence because Sakura had run up to him and wrapped her arms around him. Naruto didn't know what to do, he stood there for a moment and then Sakura started crying. Naruto put his arms around Sakura and pulled her a little closer.

Hinata felt her heart plummet but she continued to watch.

"Sakura? What's wrong?" Naruto asked concerned.

"I'm..sorry." Sakura said while crying.

Naruto was confused.

"What? Why are you sorry?" Naruto asked.

"For..for..treating..you..the..way..I..do." Sakura said between sobs.

Naruto didn't know what to say. He did feel that he didn't deserve to be treated the way that Sakura treated him but he didn't care. She was Sakura after all. The girl he loved.

"Do you want to come inside. Its a little chilly out here." Naruto suggested not knowing what else to say.

Sakura nodded and they walked to the door to Naruto's apartment. Naruto let them in and the door shut behind them.

Hinata didn't activate her Byakugan because she didn't want to know what was going on inside. She instead started running home with tears in her eyes.

* * *

Inside Naruto's apartment Naruto lead Sakura over to his bed for them to sit down since Naruto only had one chair in his apartment. Sakura lead against Naruto and the tears continued to flow although the sobs had died down. 

"You have always been there for me. I never had anything nice to say to you. I was always mean to you when you were so nice to me. I was always chasing after Sasuke and never realized that it was you who was there when it really counted. It wasn't Sasuke. It was you. I..I'm..Sorry." Sakura said the last part as she started to sob again.

"Don't worry we'll get Sasuke back." Naruto said thinking this would make Sakura feel better.

Sakura shook her head.

"Ino's right. Sasuke's gone." Sakura argued.

"He'll come back." Naruto responded.

"He's not coming back." Sakura retorted.

"Then we'll bring him back." Naruto said.

"And I don't care if he does come back. As long as I have you." Sakura said quietly.

Naruto sat there staring at Sakura replaying in his mind what was just said.

"What are you saying. That just like that you are giving up on Sasuke." Naruto asked.

"I'm saying I don't love Sasuke anymore. I love you." Sakura said with a wild look in her eyes.

"You love me?" Naruto asked confused.

"Yes. Why can't you accept that?" Sakura said grabbing Naruto by the collar of his orange jacket and shaking him a little.

"But..." Naruto started to argue but was interrupted by Sakura pressing her lips to his. Naruto decided that he didn't care what happened. He was happy this was happening. Naruto kissed Sakura back. While for them it felt clumsy at first it still held a passion that neither of them had experienced before. They broke their first kiss and looked each other in the eyes. Naruto noticed that the tears were gone and a blush had come across Sakura's cheeks. He thought it was cute so he kissed Sakura again. Sakura wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck and deepened the kiss. Naruto reached his arms around Sakura's waist and pulled her closer to him. Naruto didn't want the moment to end so he just continued to kiss Sakura. Sakura didn't want it to end either but she had to break the kiss for air. And a split moment later Naruto kissed her again, which she returned eagerly. They both repeated this for a quite some time.

Eventually Sakura pulled away and said "I need to get back. If I'm not there Tsunada might not teach me a new move for the Chuunin Exam."

"Hehe. Yeah, I need to get to sleep anyway. I have to get up early to train. I don't know why the pervert hermit insists on training so early." Naruto relied.

With that Sakura saw herself out the door. Once the door was closed Naruto yelled with joy and jumped up into the air right into the ceiling, falling down only to hit his chin on the table, knocking himself out cold. Naruto was in a deep sleep the rest of the night with dreams of doing this and that with Sakura..

* * *

Sakura walked into the Tsunada's office to find Tsunada drinking. 

"I dint think you wre comin." Tsunada said with a slight slur.

"I'm sorry I was late. Please teach me." Sakura said bowing to her teacher.

"Suree I'l teach ya. I jus dint think you wre comin. Yourr neve late. I thought ya might be witt Naruto or someing." Tsunada said the last part jokingly.

Sakura blushed a deep crimson and said "How'd you know?"

Tsunada looked up and said "I was joking."

"Oh. Oh. Of course." Sakura said nervously and then started laughing.

Tsunada smiled and whispered to herself "Hmm...I might have to start teaching her some other things also."

* * *

As Hinata ran she only watched to keep from running into anyone but she wasn't really running to anywhere specific. She just ran. When she stopped she found that she had run into an abandoned part of the village. It was the Uchiha manor. It was made up of many homes all of which belonged to the Uchiha but all of them were empty because only one Uchiha survived the massacre and that was Sasuke who was no longer in the village. Hinata started walking along the streets that made up the Uchiha manor. No one every came here because they feared what might happen to them if they did. Hinata had been here many times when looking for someplace to be alone when she didn't want to be found. There weren't many places like that in the village and this was the most unfrequented of the places. As she walked the streets she felt like she was being followed again. She knew that Kiba wouldn't follow her in here and not make himself known since she knew that he didn't like this place so she activated her Byakugan. She looked all around but didn't see anyone. 

"Who's there?" She asked of the wind.

There was of course no reply but the wind itself.

Hinata had been here many times but never before had she felt this afraid of the place. All of a sudden she had a rush of memories of when she was younger.


	2. Chapter Two

A Possible Future by Jason Corley

Chapter Two

A young Hinata runs into the Uchiha manor. She didn't want to be at home because he father was mad at her for not being good enough. Hinata is looking around the place where no one goes anymore. The place while unused still looked somewhat neat like someone was keeping up the place. As she walked along she felt like she was being watched. She spun around and didn't see anyone so she activated her Byakugan and looked again. This time she saw the chakra of a person standing behind a corner.

"Who...Who's there?" Hinata questioned the person she knew was there.

Sasuke steps out from behind the building and stares at Hinata.

Hinata could feel Sasuke's stare boring into her. She tried to lock eyes with him but couldn't. She wanted to run but couldn't bring herself to.

"Come inside." Sasuke said in a cold voice and walked into one of the houses.

Hinata followed having been given what sounded like an order. And since she was accustomed to doing what she was told she did exactly what Sasuke told her.

When she stepped inside into the warmth of the house she shivered not realizing just how cold it had been out side. Once inside she noticed Sasuke had sat down at a table and was eating rice. When Hinata didn't move Sasuke got up and grabbed a bowl then sat back down. He then poured some rice into the bowl and set it across the table from him. He then resumed eating his bowl. Hinata looked at the bowl of rice and her stomach made itself present by growling at her. A blush came across her face from the embarrassment. Hinata saw a grin creep onto Sasuke's face. He then focused back on his bowl of rice. Hinata walked over to the table and sat down.

"Thank you for the food." Hinata said and then started eating. Hinata saw a smile on Sasuke's face and she smiled herself thinking this could be the beginning of a friendship.

* * *

After receiving a lecture on how useless she was from her father, Hinata once again returned to the Uchiha manor. She didn't get the feeling of being watched this time and she was a bit worried that this time she might really be alone. Even though she had only been here that one time when Sasuke was, she expected him to be here. She walked to the house that she and Sasuke had eaten rice in. She knocked on the door and waited. She waited a long time and felt it would be rude to knock again so she continued to wait. The young Hinata continued to stand there waiting for the door to open where she could see who she thought could be a friend.

After an hour Hinata still remained standing at the door. During this time some clouds had moved in and it now started to rain. Hinata turned to look out into the rain and was grateful for the overhang she was under. She decided that she would stay until the rain died down. While waiting for the rain to stop she sat down, tired of standing for so long. The rain didn't stop, in fact it only rained harder. A gentle breeze started blowing, bringing with it a cold chill to Hinata. She thought about going inside but decided that would be rude. After a while of still waiting Hinata saw a figure approaching. She stood up and waited. She saw Sasuke staggering forward. She didn't know what could have happened. When Sasuke got closer she saw that Sasuke had a black eye and had multiple bruises. He also held his side and walked with a visible limp. Hinata couldn't say or do anything except stand in awe at her friend who had been badly beaten but continued to move on his own instead of waiting for help. Sasuke walked past Hinata without saying a word and slid the door open. He disappeared inside leaving the door open.

Hinata felt this was the closest she was going to get to an invitation to come inside so she stepped inside and slid the door closed. Hinata stayed standing at the entrance not wanting to intrude anymore than she felt she was. Hinata saw Sasuke stumbling from one room to another, this time carrying a white container. Hinata followed him and peeked around the door. Sasuke was in the bathroom and when he opened the container Hinata could see it was a first aid kit. Sasuke slowly pulled off his shirt showing he had numerous bruises on his back. Hinata gasped and put her hand over her mouth. Sasuke didn't seem to notice or care if he did. Sasuke started applying the appropriate aid to his multiple injuries. After Sasuke finished he put his shirt back on and walked out of the bathroom without saying a word to Hinata. He then walked to a room and got in the bed. Hinata followed Sasuke and stood outside the room with an indecisive expression. Sasuke rolled over and saw that Hinata was still there. He stared at her and she started to fidget some. Sasuke saw that Hinata would look from him to the door to the window where she could see that the rain was pouring down. She would then look back to Sasuke. Hinata then saw Sasuke roll over like he was ignoring her. She was getting ready to leave when she saw Sasuke pull the covers back on the bed showing that there was room in the bed. Hinata smiled and almost ran to the bed. She could have bounded into the bed she was so happy. Hinata had decided that while Sasuke didn't say much and he seemed mean he was actually a very nice and caring person. Hinata pulled the covers over her and was soon asleep.

* * *

Hinata awoke in the night to Sasuke screaming like she had never heard anyone scream before. It was a terrifying scream and it was scaring Hinata. Hinata looked to see what Sasuke was looking at but it was only the wall. Hinata looked back to her friend who finally stopped scream and curled into a ball and started crying. Hinata had only seen boys cry when they were beaten. She had never seen one cry for any other reason. Hinata thought that the beating that Sasuke received must have been worse than he made it seem. She didn't understand at that age what had happened to Sasuke's family and she didn't understand the nightmares that plagued Sasuke's mind. Eventually Sasuke stopped crying and fell back asleep. Hinata noticed that the rain had stopped and was going to leave but remembered he father telling her never to go out at night alone. So she laid her head back down on the pillow and went back to sleep.

* * *

That morning Sasuke and Hinata had potatoes for breakfast. Hinata had never had potatoes for breakfast and thought it odd but she didn't want to say anything. After eating Sasuke got up to leave. Hinata quickly followed. She felt it was too early to leave to go to class but she followed Sasuke anyway. They walked to what looked like a training ground. But Hinata knew that they weren't anywhere near the academy. She felt that they were still inside the Uchiha manor. Sasuke walked over to the targets and removed the throwing starts and kunais. He then started practicing throwing. Hinata watched as Sasuke trained all morning until it was time to leave for the academy.

They walked to class together and when they got there the teacher grabbed Hinata and said "Where have you been. You father had everyone looking for you last night."

Hinata felt happy that her father was worried about her enough to have everyone looking for her but from the look in the teachers eyes she felt that she was in big trouble.

"I...I..." Hinata tried to answer.

"Well, where were you?" The teacher asked impatiently a little irratated that he had to stay up all night because of her. And not only himself but every Chuunin and Jounin. And here she was acting like nothing had happened.

"She was with me." Sasuke answered.

The teacher looked irratatedly at Sasuke. "Both of you come with me." The teacher instructed.

They sat in an office for a few minutes and soon Hinata's father walked in. He looked very angry.

"Please excuse us." Hiashi said.

After the teacher left it was only Sasuke, Hinata, and her father left in the room.

"Just what were you doing with the Uchiha last night?" Hiashi demanded to know.

"I...I...I..." Hinata was unable to form an answer.

"It was my idea." Sasuke said.

"You may answer when I have asked you a question." Hiashi said glaring at Sasuke.

Sasuke stared back with cold hard eyes.

Hiashi started to get irratated at this Uchiha who defied him.

"And just what, was your idea." Hiashi asked.

"For Hinata to sleep with me." Sasuke replied not knowing the double meaning to what he had just said.

Hiashi punched at Sasuke faster than Sasuke had ever seen a punch thrown. Sasuke didn't have time to react at all.

Sasuke opened his eyes to see Hinata pushing against her father crying. Sasuke's vision was blurry and his ears were ringing. All Sasuke could make out was when Hiashi said "You are never to be friends with the Uchiha." Hinata looked up, shock written on her face. She knew that if this was the only way to save her friend then she had to stop being his friend. She let he head dropped in acceptance and resumed crying. Hiashi turned to walk out of the room with Hinata following him. Neither Sasuke or Hinata said anything to each other after that.

* * *

After that Hinata and Sasuke never interacted with each other. Over the next few months Hinata notice that Sasuke would come to class with a light sweat most of the time. And Sasuke would do the best in class. All the girls started following him around. At least until he entered the Uchiha manor. Everyone was afraid to enter that part of the village. At least the kids were. Every now and then Sasuke would come to class with fresh bruises and she would wonder why Sasuke was always being beaten up. So one day she followed Sasuke's fan girls who followed him. She and the other girls watched as Sasuke walked up to a local gang of older ninja academy drop outs. She couldn't hear what was said. All she could see was Sasuke shake his head and then the gang of drop out ninjas attacked him at once. Sasuke fought back as best he could but in the end was still beaten up. Then the gang noticed the fan girls and took a few steps towards them and they all took off. Except Hinata who hid and activated her Byakugan so she could see what was going to happen to her friend. She saw one of the gang members pick up who she knew was Sasuke and then helped him to the edge of where there territory was. She then saw one of the others toss Sasuke what looked like a piece of bread. Sasuke gladly started eating it as he staggered in the direction of the Uchiha manor.

Hinata decided to follow even though she agreed to her father's demand for her not to be Sasuke's friend. She only did it so he would stop beating Sasuke. She thought he was going to kill Sasuke. Hinata followed Sasuke to the back of the Uchiha manor where they had their own training ground. Hinata then watched as Sasuke trained. She continued to watch but when she noticed that the sun was setting she remembered that she had to be home before dark. As Hinata left she could still hear the sound of Sasuke training.

Hinata admired Sasuke's willingness to work hard. He was the best because the worked the hardest. And as the months went on more and more girls started following him. The amount of training Sasuke did wasn't hurting his figure much either. Sasuke continued to excel in all exercises in class. Many of the boys in the class didn't like Sasuke because of how good he was. Esspessially Naruto. Naruto would do everything he could to give Sasuke a hard time. Sasuke always ignored him. Sasuke always ignored everyone including her. Hinata would still notice Sasuke had a light sweat every morning. She assumed it was from his training every morning. Again Hinata followed along with Sasuke's fan girls. Sasuke once again went up to a local gang of ninja drop outs. They talked some and Sasuke didn't flinch an inch when one of them tossed a kunai at him. The kunai missed and Sasuke just stood there. Sasuke said a something short that the fan girls and Hinata could not hear and then the gang attacked. Sasuke dodged each and every attack. Hinata thought that it seemed as if Sasuke purposely provoked them into attacking him so he could get a workout. Sasuke would perform his attacks every so often but he mainly let the gang continue to attack. After awhile the gang members were panting for breath and Sasuke just stood there. The leader of the gang said something and Sasuke walked off. He had a look of both pride and frustration. All the fan girls stood there drooling as Sasuke walked off. Hinata decided to follow Sasuke again. This time Sasuke walked to the part of the village that very few people frequented because it was common knowledge that this is where the rough ninjas hung out. Hinata followed Sasuke deeper into what she felt was a bad place to be alone. She saw from the forehead protector that most of the people were Genins. Sasuke turned down an alley. Hinata hurried a little so she wouldn't loose site of Sasuke. When she turned the corner Sasuke was standing right there. This startled Hinata a bit.

"Why are you following me?" Sasuke asked.

"I...I..." Hinata stuttered and started fidgeting her hands which she always did now since that time Sasuke stared at her so intently.

"You know you aren't suppose to be hanging around me." Sasuke said in a cold voice.

Hinata wasn't as sure anymore about Sasuke being nice. He was always cold to everyone.

"I...was worried." Hinata said finally.

Sasuke sighed and said "Let's go." then started walking away.

Hinata followed as instructed. She stopped when she saw that Sasuke wasn't moving anymore.

"What have we here? Are the two of you on a date?" Mocked a man who appeared to be a Genin.

Hinata moved closer to Sasuke. Sasuke stared at he man without saying a word.

"Are the two of you so scared you cant speak?" The man said and then started laughing.

Sasuke grinned and kicked the man. The man doubled over and Sasuke kneed him in the face. The man fell over backwards and then Sasuke heard Hinata scream. The other man had a knife to Hinata's throat. Sasuke paused not knowing the best thing to do. Sasuke was then knocked back from a kick from the first guy.

"What do you want to do with them?" Asked the one holding Hinata.

"Well lets kick the shit out of this one. And then we can take our time with her." The first one replied.

"Let her go. I'll do whatever you want. Just let her go." Sasuke pleaded.

The first one kicked Sasuke again. "If you don't give us any trouble we will let her go." the man said.

"Do you promise?" Sasuke asked.

"Of course. We are Genins after all." The man said and grinned.

Sasuke nodded.

The man who had hold of Hinata threw her to the side and joined his comrade in beating Sasuke. Hinata couldn't do anything but stand there as they beat Sasuke more than her father had. Once the two Genins had enough of there fun beating up Sasuke they decided they would turn have there fun with Hinata. As they started to approach Hinata, Sasuke coughed out some blood and said "You promised you would leave her alone."

"No we didn't. We promised we would let her go. And we will. After we've had our fun." Said the first man.

Then they turned back to Hinata. Hinata saw the second man reaching out towards her and then she saw the tip of a kunai appear from under the skin of his neck. It then disappeared back into his skin and blood shot out of his neck. The man grabbed at his throat and fell to the ground. The other man jumped out of the way before he could be attacked. But when he landed down at the other end of the alleyway, he and Hinata both heard Sasuke say "Katon." Which was followed by a large fireball directed in the direction of the first Genin. He was unprepared for this and was engulfed in the flames. When Sasuke ran out of breath a trail of smoke was left coming out of his mouth. When Sasuke saw that all that was left of the Genin was the charred remains of a body he let himself finally succumb to the beating he had received. Sasuke passed out and fell to the ground. Hinata ran over to Sasuke. She tried to move him but she couldn't. She was too weak to move him. Hinata ran out into the street and started screaming for help. A Chuunin happened to be passing by and ran to help Hinata. When he got there he picked up Sasuke told a couple of the Genins that he knew to inform the hokage. He also told one of them to carry Hinata while he carried Sasuke. They proceeded to the hospital where Sasuke received medical treatment. Hinata was unharmed. The bodies of the two Genin were brought to the hospital also but nothing could be done for them.

* * *

Hinata was taken home by one of her relatives. When she told her father everything that happened, he did not scold her. While he did not openly show concern for her, he did care. And he was thankful that Sasuke saved his daughter but Sasuke was the reason she was in that situation so he felt no real gratitude towards the Uchiha.

"Do not hang around the Uchiha anymore. Trouble follows him." Hiashi said and left the room.

Hinata was too disturbed by what had happened to be phased by what her father said.

* * *

The next day at the academy Hinata heard Sasuke's fan girls talking.

"I heard that Sasuke was injured when fighting some enemy ninjas." Sakura

"Yeah. And that two others were killed." Ino

"Yeah. For Sasuke to survive means that Sasuke is really good." Sakura

"He's so cool." Both Ino and Sakura said.

Hinata knew better. She knew that it was Sasuke who killed those two. And she saw something in his eyes when he did. It looked like satisfaction.

* * *

"Sasuke. Why did you go to that part of the village with Hinata?" the 4th hokage asked.

"I didn't go with her. We're not allowed to be friends." Sasuke replied.

"Then why was she with you?" The 4th asked.

"She followed me." Sasuke replied locking his eyes with the hokage.

"Why?" Asked the hokage

"She said she was worried." Sasuke answered.

"Why did you kill them?" Asked the Hokage in a serious tone.

"To save Hinata." Sasuke said.

"They only beat you. Hinata is a ninja student also. Shouldn't she be able to take a beating also." Asked the Hokage trying to see what the real reason was.

"She's a girl." Sasuke said.

"She's training to be a ninja. Did you think they were going to do more then just beat her?" Asked the Hokage.

"I don't know." Sasuke answered.

"Then why?" Continued the Hokage

"Because I didn't want her to get hurt." Sasuke answered

"But why?" The Hokage asked letting himself sound angry.

"Because I like Hinata!" Sasuke yelled at the Hokage and had a fierce gaze.

The hokage smiled and said "Just make sure she doesn't follow you there anymore. We cant have you killing Genins every time you feel like training."

Sasuke nodded in understanding.

"You may go." Said the hokage.

Once Sasuke left the room the hokage thought to himself that while he is suppose to protect the whole village there are still those that he wouldn't care if they died. These two that Sasuke killed happen to be two that were under investigation and probably would have gone to prison. After the Uchiha massacre the police force took a big hit because most of there force was killed. Which meant an increase in crime in the village. Perhaps it is good that Sasuke has decided to get real training in that part of the village. It might decrease the amount of crime if people know that the Uchihas still patrol that area. Even if it is only one Uchiha.

* * *

Once Sasuke was back at the academy, he was more popular than ever. Hinata wanted to talk with her friend but she wasn't suppose to be friends with Sasuke and now she wasn't even suppose to be near him. They started sitting at opposite ends of the classroom. And only every so often would Sasuke look at Hinata. And every time he did he had this look in his eyes. That look scared Hinata. She didn't know what it meant. But after what she saw Sasuke do she felt it was a good idea to listen to her father and not hang around Sasuke.

* * *

Over the next few months she noticed how hard Naruto would try to do things. And it was the same quality in him that she had liked in Sasuke. That never give up attitude. Hinata started following Naruto around. But because of what happened with Sasuke she was afraid of getting close to Naruto. Hinata noticed that while training Naruto had much greater stamina than Sasuke did. She saw that Naruto didn't pick up on the trick to things that quick and would have to work much longer and much harder to learn the technique. She admired that even though he wasn't very good he was able to make himself better. She felt that if he could better himself then so could she. This was the beginning of her crush on Naruto.

* * *

Hinata came back from her memories and focused on the here and now. She went to the house that Sasuke always stayed at. Knowing that no one lived anywhere in this part of the village she let herself in after knocking. She saw the table that she and Sasuke had eaten at. She walked over to the table and sat down. She put her hand to the table and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Its warm. That means someone was here." Hinata said to herself.


	3. Chapter Three

A Possible Future by Jason Corley

Chapter Three

Hinata activated her Byakugan again and looked around the room. She didn't see anything that seemed out of the ordinary. But she knew someone had been here. She walked into the one bedroom. She saw that the bed had been slept in. The sheets were clean but slightly ruffled. If they had been sitting there for years they would have flattened out more. She went back into the main room. This time there was a bowl of rice on the table. Where Hinata had sat. Hinata's heart was racing. She didn't know if she should be afraid or excited. She started towards the table and sat down.

"Thanks for the food." Hinata said and started eating.

After eating Hinata got up and left. On her way home she noticed that she didn't feel quite as bad as she did when she arrived. Something about remember how she and Sasuke were, made her feel at ease even though Sasuke wasn't there. And was it just her imagination that she ate rice at the house Sasuke use to stay at. She decided it would be best not to tell anyone about this.

* * *

The following day Neji, Lee, and Tenten were patrolling the border near the country of sound. So far they had not come across anyone they needed to fight. They came across some travelers but so far no ninjas. They were beginning to wonder if they were sent on a wild goose chase.

* * *

"It must bother you to know that not one of your subordinates has made Chuunin while all 3 of mine did." Gai said to Kakashi.

"Hmm. I don't have any subordinates. They have all become apprentices to the Sannin." Kakashi relied.

"Darn you Kakashi and your coolness. I will outshine you." Gai started talking nonsense and Kakashi walked off.

* * *

Naruto and Jiraiya were in the forest training. Jiraiya was somewhat pushed by Naruto in his released demon fox form. But it was good training for him. He had told Naruto that he could only use this when it was a life and death fight or when training against him but no other time. He told Naruto that it could be dangerous and that he might do more harm than good that way. Naruto moved extremely fast and connected with Jiraiya but Jiraiya just replaced out of harms way. He watched from the side as Naruto ripped into the log that was now there. Naruto stopped and came out of the released form. Naruto came over to Jiraiya.

"That was good Naruto. You seem full of energy today. What's got you in a good mood? New girl friend?" Jiraiya joked.

"He he." Naruto laughed somewhat and put his arms behind his head.

Jiraiya looked at Naruto and smile. He thought to himself. Its about time.

* * *

Sakura's mother was yelling at her from downstairs to get out of bed. Sakura tried to roll over in bed and ignore her mother. But her mother just kept yelling for her to get up.

"Ok. Ok. I'm up." Sakura called back. She then wondered why Tsunada insists on staying up so late. Sakura wouldn't mind except for the fact that her mother yells all the time. Sakura climbed out of bed and walked over to her wardrobe. Sakura was the type of girl that preferred to sleep naked so she put on her panties and bra. She then put on one of her typical dresses. She played with her hair in the mirror some before going downstairs. She ate what was her breakfast, while her mother ate what was her lunch. Sakura then had to sit through another lecture while she finished her breakfast. Sakura promised herself that she would get her own apartment when she made Chuunin and not before. This was very good incentive to make Chuunin. And it wasn't long until the next Chuunin Exam. She and Naruto had to find another team member for this one. She and Naruto were getting tired of teaming up with the Genin who have put there names on a list for a slot in the Chuunin Exam since they don't have a team anymore. They would rarely come practice with her or Naruto so there wasn't much of a team feel. After eating Sakura left to go train on her own. When Sakura arrived at the training ground near the academy she saw Hinata already there training. Hinata sensed some one and stopped. She turned around to see that Sakura was there and then she returned to her training. Hinata had developed the 360 degree sight like Neji had. Her range wasn't as far but she still had it. And while she didn't have the total defense like Neji did she was still skilled at defense.

"Hey." Sakura said to Hinata.

"Hey." Hinata replied.

"Do you want someone to train with." Sakura asked.

Hinata normally didn't like to spar with people who weren't on her team but she would make an exception for Sakura. She didn't know if she could win or not but she felt like fighting Sakura.

Hinata nodded. Sakura and Hinata took up fighting stances and started there fight. Once Hinata moved in for the attack Sakura could tell Hinata was going to do more than spar. To her this was a fight. Sakura maintained equal level to Hinata. All her training with Tsunada had paid off. Not only was she becoming an excellent medic-nin but she was now a good individual fighter. Sakura decided to attack a few times to let Hinata know that she did not have the advantage. Hinata blocked the few attacks Sakura threw. She then pressed her attack. Hinata was surprised at how good Sakura had become. If Hinata had fought her in any of the first probably 3 Chuunin Exams Hinata probably would have won easily but now Hinata could tell she was the weaker fighter. Hinata decided to quit fighting. Sakura let the fight end.

"What was that about?" Sakura asked Hinata

Hinata was breathing heavily and had to catch her breath before answering.

"It's..not..fair." Hinata said between breaths.

"What's not fair." Sakura asked.

"Naruto." Hinata was only able to say his name. She couldn't bring herself to say why though.

Sakura didn't say anything. Sakura never really gave it thought before but now that she thought about it. She could easily tell that Hinata had a crush on Naruto. Sakura realized that Hinata must have seen her and Naruto the previous night.

"Well you cant have him." Sakura said coming strait to the point.

Hinata didn't say anything. She just turned and walked away.

"Not even going to try to win Naruto? Are you just going to run away?" Sakura taunted

Hinata thought to herself that she wasn't going to try to win anyone. She wants someone to recognize her for who she is and to want her.

* * *

"Pulling guard duty is so troublesome." Shikamaru said leaning against the railing along the top of the wall around the village. But it does make sense that a Chuunin would be stuck with guard duty instead of some other level. Genins aren't responsible enough, usually unless they are being lead, to pull guard duty. And a Jounin has more important things to do. Which leaves guard duty up to the Chuunin. Shikamaru saw someone approaching. When she came into full view Shikamaru knew who it was and was glad to see her. It was Temari. "Very troublesome but sometimes worth it." Shikamaru said to himself and then waved to Temari. Temari waved back as she approached the village.

* * *

Sakura walked into the ramen shop that Naruto always eats at and sat down. The server asked what she wanted and she said she was waiting for a friend. After a little while Naruto walked in and sat down next to Sakura. They both ordered and waited for there food.

"Guess who I trained with this afternoon." Sakura said.

"Tsunada." Naruto answered.

"Try again. She is female though." Sakura said.

"Ino." Naruto replied.

"No." Sakura said.

"Hmm...I don't know." Naruto said.

"I'll give you a little hint. She has a crush on you." Sakura teased.

The cook flinched at this. He knew for quite a while now that Hinata had a crush on Naruto and that she would probably be crushed if she knew that Naruto knew and that he didn't like her the same way.

Naruto sat there thinking. He was thinking very hard. Eventually he grabbed his head with both hands then jumped up and started yelling. Apparently it hurt for Naruto to think so hard.

"Who is it?" Naruto asked.

"Why do you care so much? Are you not happy with me?" Sakura pouted in a playful manner.

Naruto didn't catch that Sakura was playing. "That's not it. Of course I'm not not happy with you. I mean of course I'm happy with you. I just wanted to know. I don't know who you are talking about." Naruto nearly pleaded not wanting Sakura to dump him since they just got together.

Sakura smiled and said "If you are really nice to me I will tell you."

Naruto started nodding his head very fast.

* * *

Hinata was walking around the village thinking. She was trying to decide if she would let Sakura have Naruto or if she could actually win Naruto from her. The idea of winning Naruto brought a blush to her face. But he likes Sakura, Hinata thought to herself. If I let Sakura have Naruto then they will both be happy. But I should be happy too. Sakura wasn't better than me a year ago. And now she is. So if I work harder then I can be Stronger. And then Naruto will notice me, Hinata told herself.

She couldn't bring herself to think that no matter how hard she tried, she might not get Naruto. She had to believe that if she tried hard enough, Naruto would notice her.

* * *

Kiba was walking Akamaru and saw Hinata walking along. He could tell she was deep in thought. Kiba was about to walk up to Hinata and talk to her but remembered their conversation from the other day. Kiba decided he didn't feel like talking to her right then. He decided to just keep walking.

Hinata had decided that she was going to try and win Naruto after all. Even though she felt that he should want her for who she is. She decided that if she was better then that would be who she is and then Naruto would like her for who she is. Hinata knew she had to train enough to fight equally with Sakura, now she just needed to find someone who was willing to train that much with her.

Kiba saw Hinata stop walking and raised her head instead of looking down at the ground. She nodded in a determined manner. She looked to her right then to her left and saw Kiba. Kiba saw Hinata smile and watched as she jogged towards him. Kiba's jaw crept open as he watched her. Even though Hinata was a rather petite girl and he himself preferred more well endowed women, he still couldn't help but enjoy himself as he watched the outline of Hinata's breast pushed against her jacket move ever so slightly as she jogged towards him. Akamaru looked up at him with a quizzical expression and barked when Hinata was within talking distance. Kiba shook his head to bring himself back to reality. Hinata looked Kiba right in the eye and asked "Will you train with me?"

Kiba was shocked. Ever since Kiba knew Hinata she had never asked him to train with her. She would always go along with him and Shino. Kiba saw that Hinata really looked fired up to train. And even though he didn't really want to be around Hinata at the moment after what she said the other day he just couldn't bring himself to say no to her. Kiba replied to her with "Yes. When?"

"Can we start right now?" Hinata asked in a manner that almost commanded. Kiba had never known Hinata to act like this. He did know that she was more confidant around himself and Shino than everyone else he had seen Hinata talk to.

"Yeah sure." Kiba answered.

"Thank you." Hinata said and smiled.

They then started in the direction of the training grounds. Kiba knew he was going to get a workout today.

* * *

Jiraiya walked into Tsunada's office without asking.

"You never change do you?" commented Tsunada

"I guess not." Jiraiya responded.

"So why are you here? Business or here to talk about our protégées?" Tsunada asked.

"I'm just here to talk. It can be about anything." Jiraiya responded

"Well while you're here, let's talk about Naruto and Sakura." Tsunada said.

* * *

"Hinata?" Naruto said confused.

Sakura nodded "Yep. You should have seen her. She was so mad that I'm with you. She even tried to pick a fight." Sakura said trying to make sure Naruto wouldn't think of leaving her for Hinata.

"That's doesn't sound like Hinata." Naruto said.

"Well, she was mad." Sakura argued.

"If she had a crush on me then I guess I can see her getting mad. But I just cant see her picking a fight." Naruto replied.

Sakura watched as Naruto thought over everything she had told him. When she didn't see him coming to a conclusion of his own, she decided to help him along. Naruto had been looking down with his eyes closed and his arms crossed while he thought. His thoughts were interrupted as he felt lips on his. He opened his eyes to only to see Sakura was kissing him. She had leaned over and kissed him. He quickly returned the kiss even though he was a little embarrassed kissing her in public. She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. Naruto put his arms around her waist but didn't pull her to him because she was sitting on the stool next to him and he didn't want to make her fall. Sakura broke the kiss and looked Naruto in the eyes. She then said "You do believe me don't you?"

Naruto looked frightened for a moment because he had not finished thinking. He wasn't ready for to answer this. His eyes drifted to the side. Sakura saw this so she pulled away some more and closed her eyes then said in a defeated tone "Well, if you don't believe me, then I guess..."

Sakura was interrupted as Naruto kissed her passionately. She couldn't help but kiss back. Naruto broke the kiss abruptly and said "I believe you."

Sakura could see the desperation in Naruto's eyes. She said in a tone that sounded like she was about to cry, "Oh Naruto" and hugged him close to her. When Naruto hugged her tightly Sakura smiled a victorious smile to herself.

* * *

Temari had entered the village and climbed the stairs to the top of the wall around the village. When she got to the top Shikamaru was waiting.

"What brings you here this time?" Shikamaru asked in a casual voice.

"I'm just visiting." Temari said.

"Who are you visiting?" Shikamaru asked.

"You're smart. You can figure it out." Temari

"I don't know. You are a clever one. I might not be able predict your motives." Shikamaru said

They stood there staring at one another with serious expressions. If anyone had seen them they would have thought they were about to start fighting at any moment. Temari cracked a smile. Shikamaru couldn't help but grin a little bit. Both Temari and Shikamaru tried desperately to keep from letting a bigger smile grow on there faces. This only resulted in them having a harder time. Temari let a slight "he" out which was the last straw. Both Temari and Shikamaru started laughing hysterically. As they laughed they approached each other and when they meet hugged each other fondly. As there laugher started to die down they broke from there embrace and Temari put her hand on Shikamaru's Chuunin Jacket and said "It still looks good on you."

Shikamaru replied by saying "And why aren't you wearing yours if it looks so good?"

"And hide this figure." Temari said striking an exaggerated pose. She then continued by saying "Besides I said it looks good on you. Not that it looks good."

Shikamaru made a face like he was annoyed.

"Oh come on. You have to admit that it would be a waste to hide a figure like mine." Temari said.

Shikamaru turned to look away then looked at Temari out of the corner of his eye and smiled. He then faced her and said "You're right. It would be a waste to hide a figure like yours. It could also be argued that what you are wearing now is hiding your figure."

Temari blushed and looked aside not expecting this from Shikamaru. She glanced at him and smiled shyly. Even though Temari is 18 and three years Shikamaru's senior she can still act like a school girl. She then got a confidant smirk and faced Shikamaru squarely. She replied by saying, "You're all talk. You're just trying to win a verbal exchange. I bet you would act different in a real situation."

Shikamaru's smile faltered for a moment but when it returned he said "We just might have to find out sometime."

Temari's smirk never vanished as they stared at each other.

* * *

Neji using his Byakugan spotted the outline of 3 people off to the side. He informed Lee and Tenten of the location. As they approached they noticed that the 3 were sound ninjas. They had the black and white camo pants and collar. Neji, Lee, and Tenten approached to within earshot unseen.

"I still don't see why we are out here." Said one of the sound ninjas

"We are here to make sure that Sasuke doesn't escape." Said the female sound ninja.

"I know that." Replied the first sound ninja.

"Then why did you..." the female sound ninja was interrupted by the first one.

"Since Sasuke is Lord Orochimaru's apprentice then he is bound to be really strong. And even if he is only as strong as they say he is. Then the 3 of us cant stop him." Said the first sound ninja.

"Well, even if he's stronger than us we still have to stop him. And if we cant we have to at least report that he did in fact leave." Replied the female ninja

"We don't even know if he is still in the country." Said the first sound ninja raising his voice quite a bit.

"Come on. Keep it down. I'm trying to sleep. You don't want me falling asleep on my watch do you." Said the third sound ninja.

The three sound ninja didn't say anything more after that. Neji motioned for Lee and Tenten to follow him. They moved a distance away so they could talk freely. Neji decided it best to send Tenten back to report the situation while he and Lee continued to patrol the area.

* * *

"Do you really think we should encourage this relationship?" Tsunada asked looking at Jiraiya.

"I think we should. But if you don't think we should, then we can just let things go as they are." Jiraiya answered look at Tsunada

Tsunada looked down at her desk in thought.

* * *

As the sun started to set Kiba and Hinata were still training.

"Hinata. Don't you think this is enough for today." Kiba asked breathing heavily.

"Just..a..little..more..please." Hinata said between labored gasps for air.

Kiba shook his head. "We can continue tomorrow if you still want to do this. But that's enough for tonight."

Hinata didn't respond. Kiba just looked at her as he walked over to pick up his jacket. He then shook his head again and walked off with Akamaru by his side.

Hinata after a moments rest walked over to the hitting posts. She then proceeded to train more.

When she could no longer hold her arms up in position and could barely stand she decided that was enough for the day. She staggered away from the training grounds. As she walked towards home she came to a set of stairs that she didn't feel she could climb at the moment so she decided to walk the slightly inclined path. Which as it turns out did not lead in the direction of the Hyuga manor. After walking a fair distance she felt she was in a familiar area so she just went with what felt right. After walking for a little bit more she found herself outside the Uchiha manor which somehow looked more welcoming than it had in the past. She walked through the gate and down the streets of the Uchiha manor. She came to the house that Sasuke had once resided in. Although she didn't think it large enough to be the house that his family had lived in. She walked up to the door and knocked. She didn't expect anyone to answer so she just walked in. She took her blue footwear off before continuing farther into the house. She walked to the bathroom and when she entered she noticed a bucket of water next to the water pump. She took note that the water looked clean instead of having a laver of dust on top of it or the presence of bugs in it. She poured the water into the pump to get the water flowing then turned the faucet on to the bathtub on. Once the tub was full she unzipped her jacket and let it fall to the floor. Then she untied her forehead protector and laid it beside her jacket with a metallic click when it touched the floor. She then pealed her shirt from her sweat covered body and disposed of it to rest on top of her jacket. She then loosened the draw string on her pants and let them fall to around her ankles. Following this she unclasped the bra and dropped it on top of her shirt. She then removed her panties and let them come to rest at her feet along with her pants. She slipped into the bathtub and right away could feel the warmth of the water sooth her muscles that were crying out in pain. She laid her head back and closed her eyes.


	4. Chapter Four

A Possible Future by Jason Corley

Chapter Four

Hinata woke to a slight chill. Once she was awake she realized she had fallen asleep in the bathtub. And now the water was cooling down. She got out of the bathtub and to her surprise there was a towel for her to dry off with. She toweled herself off and then reached down to grabbed her panties off the top of the pile of her clothes. She put them on then put on her bra. She slipped her shirt on and then pulled her pants up and tied the draw string. She put her jacket on and zipped it closed. She reached down to pick up her forehead protector but it wasn't there. She stood up strait to look around. She saw it sitting on the counter around the sink. Hinata did not remember putting her forehead protector there. But she was pretty tired so it was possible. She also didn't feel like she had put dirty clothes on. They felt clean. When she looked up she noticed the door was closed. Hinata thought she had left the door open but maybe she did shut it. She opened it and walked out into the main room. She was about to leave but she decided that if she were to return home this late, she would get into trouble. Hinata walked to the bedroom. The bed looked so inviting to her. She walked over to the bed then slipped under the covers. She shivered slightly at the cold but she decided it was warmer under the sheets then it would be walking home. Hinata soon fell asleep.

* * *

Tenten arrived in the early morning to report to the fifth hokage, who was passed out on her books at her desk. The attendant let Tenten in and they both look at the fifth and thought 'is she really the fifth hokage?' The attendant woke up Tsunade. Once Tenten thought the fifth looked awake enough to listen she gave her report from the previous day.

Tsunada gave some thought to what Tenten had said and had yet to dismiss her. Tenten on the other hand was standing thinking how nice it would be to finally get to sleep. She had been traveling all day and night long to get here. Tsunada finally spoke. "Very good work. You and your team have definitely earned your pay. Get some rest then return to continue your mission."

Tenten bowed then left the room. Tsunada told the attendant to inform the Jounin and Chuunin to be on the look out for Sasuke and for the Sound ninja especially.

* * *

When Hinata woke she found that she was no longer cold. She sat up and noticed that she had an extra blanket over her. She was positive that there had not been another blanket. Hinata wondered why she had not been told to leave. She got out of bed and straitened out the sheets. She then walked into the main room where she saw a bowl of rice along with a plate of beef and vegetables. She was about to activate her Byakugan but decided not to. She thought it rude of her since she had intruded. She walked over to the table and looked at the food. She was hungry but if someone was living here she didn't want to eat there food. A snake then slithered into the room and looked at Hinata. Hinata looked back at the snake and was about to leave when the snake said "pleasse, eat."

* * *

"Why am I doing this kind of mission?" Ino complained.

"Because we are Genin." Chouji answered sleepily.

"I know. But couldn't they have gotten a different Genin to be a gofer? Especially for this one." Ino protested pointing at a door.

"Its just Shikamaru. He won't care." Chouji said.

Ino looked pissed. She then stormed up to the door of Shikamaru's apartment and proceeded to pound on the door. Ino and Chouji then heard not only Shikamaru but also another voice. A feminine voice. The conversation was muffled.

"I thought you said you weren't working today." Came a groggy voice that sounded like Temari

"It's probably the kid next door. He likes to play shouji with me." Came Shikamaru's voice.

A vain started to protrude from Ino's forehead. Chouji looked a little sad but didn't say anything. Ino then proceeded to pound on the door some more.

"Can't you tell him to go away?" Temari asked

The pounding continued.

"Damn persistent kid. How troublesome." Shikamaru said.

When the door opened Ino was right there. Shikamaru saw how angry she was and then saw Chouji. Shikamaru sighed.

"Who is it?" Temari asked.

Ino then looked to see that it looked like Temari was only covered by the sheets she was under. Ino pointed at her with a slack jaw then grabbed Shikamaru by the collar and started shaking him. She yelled "What were the two of you doing?"

Shikamaru gazed off at the clouds and remembered back to the previous day.

* * *

Shikamaru and Temari were walking away from the wall that Shikamaru had guarded the whole day. Temari stood guard with him even though it wasn't her village and she wasn't getting paid. She still stood there with Shikamaru even though they didn't talk. But as they walked along the streets there conversation was light and happy. Shikamaru took Temari to a casual restaurant that they had been to before, that they both enjoyed. When they exited the restaurant it was dark.

"I know a good hotel around here." Shikamaru said with a strait face

Temari looked at Shikamaru with an impish grin and said "Who said I would sleep with you?"

Shikamaru turned a shade of red as he thought about what both he and Temari had said. He replied with "And here I was trying to tell you of a good place to stay. I guess I wont tell you." and then turned his back to Temari.

Temari put her hand on his shoulder and said "I guess that means I will be staying at your place."

Out of the corner of his eye Shikamaru looked at Temari and said "I only have one bed and I'm not going to sleep on the floor."

Temari replied with "Who said anything about you sleeping on the floor. I don't mind sharing a bed with you."

Shikamaru turned a little darker red and said "My apartment is this way."

"I can't wait." Temari replied.

Nothing more was said as Shikamaru and Temari walked along.

* * *

When they got to the door of Shikamaru's apartment Temari wrapped her arms around Shikamaru's waist from behind. She rested her head against his back. Shikamaru swallowed hard with an audible gulp. Temari giggled a little. Shikamaru unlocked the door to his room and they walked in. He closed and locked the door behind them. They both sat down on the step and took off there footwear. He then said to Temari "You can have the bathroom first."

"You just want to sneak a peak don't you?" Temari teased.

"That's not what I meant." Shikamaru said turning around to face Temari

Temari saw that her teasing might be too much for him right now. She walked over to him. When she was standing right in front of Shikamaru she just stood there staring him in the eyes. When Shikamaru didn't make a move she tilted her head up and leaned forward like she was going to kiss Shikamaru. But she didn't. She stopped less than an inch away. Shikamaru saw that she had her eyes closed. He thought about all the possibilities and decided to hell with the negative outcome of almost all of them. He leaned forward the little bit needed to kiss Temari. Temari was more than receptive of the kiss. She kissed back with a passion neither of them had known. There kisses were long and deep. Neither was conscious of what happened next.

THE FOLLOWING IS A LEMON SCENE. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO READ THIS TYPE OF MATERIAL THEN SKIP DOWN TO WHERE YOU SEE ANOTHER SENTENCE OF ALL CAPS

Temari unzipped Shikamaru's Chuunin jacket and he tossed it aside. Shikamaru untied Temari's, for lack of a better word an, apron and they let it fall to the ground. Shikamaru then tossed aside his shirt leaving only his undershirt. Temari started tugging at the bottom on of his undershirt and he allowed her to lift it over his head. Once it was off it was discarded and they resumed kissing. Shikamaru let his hands wander along Temari's back. Shikamaru then started to undo Temari's dress with some difficulty. Temari giggled a little and helped undo it. Once it was open she let it fall to the floor. All Temari had on left was a hoes material body suit. Shikamaru could easily see all of Temari now. Shikamaru watched in awe as she pealed it off. Shikamaru had no idea how it went together but he was sure if he looked at it he could figure it out. But he wasn't trying to figure it out at the moment either. He was entranced by Temari's beauty. Once she had the body suit off she had her head turned down and she glanced up looking Shikamaru in the eyes. Shikamaru was brought of his daze and walked forward and kissed her lovingly. It wasn't a timid light kiss and it wasn't a passion frenzied kiss. It was a kiss that showed deep affection. Temari returned the kiss the same way and as they moved towards the bed Temari undid Shikamaru's pants and let them fall with his underpants also. Shikamaru laid Temari down on her back and kissed her again. He then started kissing her neck and moved his hands from her sides up to her breasts. He squeezed ever so gently on her full breasts and then lightly pinched her nipples provoking a groan from Temari. He then put his month over one of her breasts and sucked genteelly on it. Temari reached out and brought Shikamaru's face back up to hers for them to kiss more. As they kissed Shikamaru moved so that his legs spread Temari's legs. They both continued to kiss as Shikamaru slowly pushed his penis into Temari's vagina. She winced at the momentary pain but quickly forgot about it. Shikamaru and Temari made slow love. Shikamaru whispered into Temari's ear when he knew he was about to ejaculate and moved to pull himself out. When he did he couldn't hold it in anymore and he sprayed semen over Temari's chest. Temari looked down at herself then gingerly touched the white substance that was on her. When she touched it, it had a sticky feel to it.

THIS ENDS THE LEMON SCENE

"I think I will take that shower now." Temari said looking up at Shikamaru.

"Sorry." Shikamaru said to Temari.

"Don't worry about it." Temari said and then leaned forward to kiss Shikamaru. She then moved out from underneath him and walked to the bathroom.

Shikamaru started thinking of the possibilities that could follow this when Temari stuck her head out and asked "You coming?"

Shikamaru repeated the phrase he said when he saw Temari arrive that morning but with a slight change "Very troublesome but worth it." He then got up and walked to the bathroom where he and Temari helped clean each other in the shower. When they returned to Shikamaru's bed they curled up together and fell asleep.

* * *

Shikamaru was brought back to present time by Ino slapping him across the face.

"Feel better now?" Shikamaru asked stepping back from Ino.

Ino then ran away crying. As Chouji and Shikamaru watch Ino run Chouji said "Tsunade wants all the Chuunins at a special meeting this morning."

"Yeah yeah." Shikamaru replied then disappeared back into his apartment.

Chouji then chased after Ino.

"Sorry. I have to go to a meeting." Shikamaru said to Temari then leaned over and kissed her. When the kiss ended he said "sleep in and when you get up feel free to make yourself at home."

Shikamaru then pulled his Chuunin jacket on and left the apartment to go to the meeting. Temari looked around the room and thought that she could get use to the place. Then she laid back down to get some more sleep.

* * *

At the meeting that was called all the Chuunin were told that from the information they had they were guessing that Sasuke had fled from Orochimaru and that he might not even been in the country of the sound anymore. They were told that they should keep a look out for Sasuke and for increased activity from the Sound ninjas.

* * *

"Pleases eat." Said the snake to Hinata.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude." Hinata said bowing to the snake.

"Sss sss sss. There'ss no need to appologisse. You are a welcome guesst. The masster hass given explicate insstructionss to make ssure you are comfortable." the snake hissed in a somehow warm tone.

"Thank you." Hinata said bowing once more to the snake.

She then sat down to eat the food that was on the table.

* * *

Shikamaru returned to his apartment to find that Temari wasn't there. Shikamaru looked down and assumed the worse. He walked over to his bed and sat down. He couldn't help but think he screwed up. And he thought things went well. Just as he was starting to come up with more and more things that he could have done better Temari walked in carrying a bag of groceries. Shikamaru looked at Temari with relief and then saw the bag of groceries and grinned.

"What?" Temari asked.

"Domestic chores?" Shikamaru asked.

Temari blushed slightly and said "I was just trying to be nice. You can get them next time." She then walked to the kitchen and started putting the food away. Shikamaru smiled with satisfaction.

* * *

When Hinata was through eating her breakfast she looked over at the snake who had coiled up and looked to be resting. "Umm...Excuse me." Hinata said timidly to the snake.

The snake raised its head and said "Yess? How may I help you?"

"I was just wondering who the master is." Hinata stated.

"Sss sss sss. The masster iss the masster." Replied the snaked after laughing a little.

"But who is he?" Hinata pressed.

"The masster doess not wissh hiss pressence to be known yet. Sso I can not ssay." Replied the snake.

Hinata did not look happy at this news.

"But do not worry. You are welcome to come around here anytime." Said the snake.

Hinata looked thoughtful for a second and then said "Please excuse me. I need to start my training for the day." Hinata walked over to put her footwear on then left after bowing to the snake

The snake watched through the window as Hinata ran off.

"Sss sss sss. Very nice. Doessn't sseem like your type though Masster." Said the snake to the empty house.

* * *

Hinata found Kiba out walking Akamaru. She ran up to Kiba and asked "Are you ready to train some more?"

Kiba had thought that Hinata would give up training so intensively but apparently he was wrong. He replied in a heavy voice "Yeah. Let's go." They then set off towards the training grounds. Hinata moved exceptionally well for having pushed so hard the previous day. Kiba didn't even want to walk Akamaru he was so sore but he did say he would train with her. When they got to the training grounds Kiba went ahead and took off his jacket. They both assumed ready positions. Akamaru barked and they started there sparring match. Kiba was still more aggressive than Hinata was but she was easily able to make up for that in her defense.

* * *

Eventually Tenten pulled herself out of bed after only a couple hours rest. She put her Chuunin jacket on and set off to regroup with Neji and Lee.

* * *

Jiraiya and Naruto approached the village. Naruto was nursing a bruised face from the beating he received from Jiraiya. For some reason the Kyuubi did not let Naruto use its power today and Naruto was feeling the repercussions from that. They sat down to eat a late lunch at Naruto's favorite ramen shop.

* * *

Sakura woke up to her mother's yelling once more. She wasn't really feeling up to dealing with her. Sakura walked over to her window and opened it to enjoy the sunshine. Unfortunately for her Konohamaru and his cohorts were passing by at that moment down from the window and across the street but they were still able to see Sakura's exposed breasts. The two boys stopped dumbstruck with there mouths hanging open and drool starting leak out. When Sakura realized what she as doing and who had seen her she covered her breasts with one arm and threw two barbells at the boys. They didn't have the wits about them to dodge and were both hit squarely on the head and knocked out cold. The girl in there group tried to tend to there wounds. Sakura proceeded to get dressed so no other perverts could get a free peak. Sakura walked downstairs and greeted her mother before leaving. As Sakura walked she thought about her training with Tsunade.

* * *

Sakura was putting all of her chakra into keeping the stupid fish alive but she was getting exhausted. She stopped and turned to Tsunade.

"Isn't this enough?" Sakura asked.

"Will it live on its own?" Tsunade asked.

"Its a fish." Sakura.

"So?" Tsunade said reading a book.

"No matter how hard I try, it wont live." Sakura argued.

"Really? You seem to be able to keep it alive." Tsunade.

"But its a fish. It can't live out of water." Sakura said exasperated.

Tsunade merely grinned to herself and Sakura paled as she realized the answer. Sakura picked up the fish and put it in a bucket of water. She then used some of her chakra to make it a little more lively. The fish stabilized and somehow looked annoyed that it had suffered so much. Sakura stepped back proud of herself. Tsunade walked over to the bucket to reach in and grab the fish by the tail. She pulled it out and slit its stomach open with a kunai. She then cut the dangling innards and dropped the fish on the table. She then used the water in the bucket to clean her hands and then dumped it out. Tsunade returned to her book. Sakura looked petrified.

Tsunade looked up and said "I don't think it's going to live long if you just stand there like that."

Sakura then started working on trying to save the fish. She was already worn out before from just trying to keep it from suffocating. But now she had to keep it from suffocating while she repaired its body.

Tsunade watched as Sakura kept the fish alive even though half its organs weren't functioning. And while Sakura made the fish breath and made it's heart beat, she also was working on attaching its intestines back in the right places. This continued for several hours when the chakra Sakura was putting into the fish stopped and Sakura fainted. Tsunade was there to catch her before she hit the ground. Tsunade looked at Sakura and thought to herself that Sakura was going to make a great medic-nin. Tsunade looked at the fish and saw that all in organs had been repaired and Sakura had been working on the exterior flesh. The fish died once Sakura stopped but it had lasted much longer than Tsunade had thought it would.

After training with Tsunade for a year. Sakura had become pretty decent at keeping a fish alive. Tsunade told her that a medic-nin also has to be able to survive on the battlefield. So it is important to learn more than just the medical aspects. It was also important for a medic-nin to be able to fight also. Sakura could understand this and knew that if the medic-nin were attacked and couldn't defend themselves then they were a liability to the mission. Tsunade then started training Sakura to fight not only how to save lives.

* * *

Sakura looked up to see she had walked to Naruto's favorite restaurant. She walked in and found Naruto there with Jiraiya. She walked up to Naruto and hugged him. She then sat down and ordered her own bowl of ramen. Jiraiya smiled as he looked at Naruto and Sakura. He turned his attention to his food and to his thoughts. He didn't notice as Sakura yelled at him after she had seen what he did to Naruto's face.

* * *

The sun was getting close to the horizon which had Ino and Chouji eating with Asuma at restaurant known for there bar-b-que. Ino was still pissed from that morning. Asuma had a worried expression. Ino was eating more than usual and Chouji was eating less than usual.

"Ok you two. Spill it." Asuma said to his subordinates.

"Its nothing." Ino said before taking a bite out of her meal.

"We saw Shikamaru this morning." Chouji said a little sadly.

"And? What happened?" Asuma pressed.

"I don't even want to know." Ino said and took another bite.

Asuma looked to Chouji who said "We heard two voices in Shikamaru's apartment. One was a girl."

Asuma looked slightly relieved but wanted to hear the rest so pressed for more information.

"That traitorous bastard is sleeping with the enemy." Ino said and once more took a bite.

Asuma looked a little worried and looked to Chouji.

"We could see Temari in his bed." Chouji.

Asuma looked as if a weight had been placed on his shoulders. "The Sand is our ally. So it's really no different than him dating someone from our village." Asuma explained.

"Ally or not, its wrong." Ino almost screamed. Asuma didn't know what to say and he could see that Chouji was also bothered about something.

Author's notes

This was my first time writing a Lemon scene. I was trying to write it without sounding crude. Normally when I write I only imply a sexual scene. If you thought it was done well or not well please let me know. I kind of think using the medical terms had a negative effect on the mood I was trying to set. But because I don't like reading crude stuff I was trying not to use various words. Its hard to write a sexual scene in a clean way when you have heard so many crude sexual references.

Personally I prefer Sasuke/Hinata fanfics. Not only do I not like both Naruto and Sakura but I have a dislike for them. I'm also not a fan of Temari's ohhhh the pain. It hurts. Such a bad pun. But with these preferences I am still writing the story the way I think it should pan out. I don't really have anything in mind. I am really just writing what I feel like at the moment. So there really is no telling how the story will turn out. I'm enjoying this the way I would if I was reading something because I am writing as it comes to mind.

Thank you for reading and please enjoy future writings by me.


	5. Chapter Five

A Possible Future by Jason Corley

Chapter Five

The sun was starting to set and Kiba stopped his assault against Hinata then said "That's enough for today."

Hinata nodded and watched as Kiba walked over and picked up his jacket. He was getting ready to leave but before he did he turned to face Hinata and said "Tomorrow I will be leaving with my sister on a mission. I will be gone up until just a few days before the Chuunin exam."

Hinata looked up at Kiba shocked. She was going to lose her sparring partner. And Shino didn't have the time since he was a Chuunin already. Hinata dropped her head in defeat. She couldn't improve that much by herself.

"Sorry." Kiba said before departing.

Hinata didn't feel like training anymore if she wasn't going to be able to improve. She started walking home. She came to the flight of stairs that had deterred her the previous day but today it wasn't going to. She climbed the stairs and continued on her way home.

* * *

Shikamaru was laying in bed on his back with Temari against him. She had her head resting on his chest and she watched how his nipple reacted as she played with it.

Shikamaru watched Temari with affection and asked "How long are you planning on staying?"

Temari stopped playing with Shikamaru's nipple and turned her head to look him in the eyes. "Don't you want me to stay here?" Temari asked.

"Of course I want you to stay. It's just that...won't your comrades be looking for you?" Shikamaru asked.

Temari felt relieved at what Shikamaru had said. She laid her head back on his chest and resumed playing with his nipple. "I have three more days before I have to head back." Temari answered.

"Does your country have posts in there allies country?" Shikamaru asked.

"Why do you want to know?" Temari asked.

"Just wondering." Shikamaru answered.

"Come on. I know you have a reason for asking." Temari pressed.

"I was just curious if there was a possibility of you being nearby." Shikamaru said looking off to the side. Temari saw that Shikamaru was trying to be casual but she wasn't going to let him. She bit down slightly on his nipple extracting a "hey!" from Shikamaru.

"What? You do that to me." Temari said smiling.

"But that's because you're a girl. You don't do that to a guy." Shikamaru argued.

"That's no fun." Temari said climbing on top of Shikamaru. She leaned forward to kiss him. Shikamaru wrapped his arms around Temari's waist and pulled her closer. After they kissed for a bit, Temari sat up straddling Shikamaru's stomach. Temari stretched her arms above her head causing Shikamaru's attention to be diverted to her exposed breasts. He cupped her breast in his hand that he had reached out and moved his other hand to her waist. She looked down at him while still in the position she was in and said "They don't have a post here but they have been talking about an exchange program. I might be inclined to sign up for the program if you knew of a ninja that was willing to go to the county of sand."

Shikamaru closed his eyes in thought. Temari took this moment to shift her position. She lifted her self up and moved back some. She then let herself come down around Shikamaru. This brought Shikamaru out of his thoughts. Temari giggled at his reaction and started to rock her hips back and forth. The conversation was put on hold.

* * *

When Hinata reached the gate to the Hyuga manor she felt that even though this was home it seemed unwelcoming. She entered then proceeded to the main house. She removed her footwear once inside then walked down the hall to her room. She collapsed on to her bed, just wanting to sleep and not face the world.

* * *

The following morning Shikamaru woke up. He found that Temari was still there. He was quite content. Now he just had to make it so that she could stay longer. He didn't have to work but he decided to go to the main office anyway and talk with Tsunade. He got up and dressed himself. As he was putting on his footwear Temari woke up. She reached over and no one was there. The then questioned in a slightly frightened tone "Shikamaru?"

"I'm here." Shikamaru relied.

Temari sighed with relief and asked in an accusing tone "Just where are you going?"

"I have something to discuss with the 5th." Answered Shikamaru.

"I thought you had the day off?" Temari said.

"I do. But I have to take care of something. And the sooner I bring it up, the sooner it can take effect." Shikamaru said opening the door.

"Don't take too long." Temari said.

"Yeah yeah." Shikamaru answered as he closed the door.

* * *

Once Shikamaru was at the main office he requested to see the 5th hokage. The attendant had Shikamaru follow him. Once to Tsunade's office the attendant knocked on the door. No response was heard so the attendant knocked again. This time there came a groggy reply for them to come in. The attendant showed Shikamaru in. Tsunade looked at Shikamaru a little annoyed at being disturbed so early.

"I thought you had the reputation for being lazy." Tsunade said.

"Only when I'm not working." Shikamaru replied.

"So what do you want at this ungodly hour." Tsunade asked.

"I happened to come across information that the country of sand would be willing to do an exchange program. Where one of there ninja's would come here and one of ours would go there." Shikamaru explained.

"And would you be willing to go there?" Tsunade asked.

"I would prefer not to." Shikamaru responded.

Tsunade informed Shikamaru that she would think about it and that she would ask for volunteers. She then dismissed Shikamaru and he left. Shikamaru went strait home.

* * *

Jiraiya was finishing a combo against Naruto when he was distracted by some pretty girls. Jiraiya stopped fighting Naruto to gawk at the girls. Naruto took that moment to rest from the beating he was receiving. Naruto was having difficulty calling on the Kyuubi's power and couldn't figure out why. He had the chakra at his disposal but he wasn't able to fight in his demi-fox form. He watched as some of the minor scratches on his hands healed. He definitely still had the power in him.

* * *

Hinata woke up late. She was sore all over. She didn't feel like moving. But she was knew she couldn't stay in bed. Hinata got out of bed and grabbed some clean clothes before heading for the bathroom. After she showered she left the Hyuga manor and started walking the streets of the village.

* * *

As always Sakura woke to her mother yelling. Sakura promised herself she would make Chuunin this time so she could move out because then she could afford her own place. She couldn't figure out how Naruto was able to keep his own place. He had his own place even before he was Genin. After Sakura dressed herself she ate breakfast then departed to wander the village until Tsunade was ready to train her.

* * *

As Hinata walked she got the feeling she was being followed again. She decided not to worry this time though. Hinata's path happened to cross Sakura's that morning. The two girls looked at one another. Sakura with confidence and zealous. And Hinata with a timid demeanor.

"Given up on Naruto yet?" Sakura asked treating the girl like she did Ino when they were competing over Sasuke.

"It's...Naruto's choice." Hinata answered.

"And he choose me." Sakura replied.

"I thought you liked Sasuke." Hinata stated.

Sakura's smirk disappeared. "I..." Sakura was at a lost for words.

"What if Sasuke returns?" Hinata asked trying to shake Sakura's resolve.

"If he returns I will stick with Naruto. After all Naruto is the one who has always been there for me." Sakura said in a way that sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

Hinata looked down with a slightly depressed expression. Sakura started to walk off and said "Naruto wouldn't like someone with as little talent as you."

Hinata was left there with her thoughts. Hinata started to mechanically walk. She didn't care where she went. She just had to keep walking.

* * *

Neji, Lee, and Tenten were eating lunch around a campfire.

"The sound are starting to act very anxious." Tenten commented.

"If Sasuke really has escaped from them it would make sense." Neji replied.

"Do you think he's come back?" Lee asked.

"Its possible." Tenten said.

"We can't jump to conclusions. And even if he has come back. Can we trust him?" Neji replied.

* * *

Hinata walked along. She walked to the training grounds of the academy. She didn't feel at ease. So she walked along more and came to the place were Naruto would train by himself. Every other time she had come here she had felt at ease and inspired to do better but not this time. So she continued to walk. She started back in the direction of her home. When she got closer she felt worse about herself. The Hyuga family no longer cared about her. Home was not a place she could feel at ease. She continued walking feeling more depressed not having a place to go.

* * *

"Come on perverted hermit. I thought I would get quality training with it being winter." Naruto yelled at Jiraiya. Jiraiya just continued to stare at the girls in tight winter clothes. Naruto was growing tired of this and decided to attack. When he did so Jiraiya merely back fisted Naruto in the face sending him soaring back. Naruto laid on the ground out cold. Jiraiya chuckled to himself as he watched the girls. He could even see their nipples though there shirts because they were chilled enough. He chuckled some more to himself.

* * *

Shikamaru sat at the table in his apartment and watched Temari as she cooked. Temari turned around and smiled at Shikamaru. Shikamaru smiled in return. He was quite content with the things were going. Other than the sex Shikamaru thought that they had a rather in active relationship. They didn't do anything. The past two days they had been in his apartment, they just sat around. Shikamaru would sit there spaced out. Sometimes he would have his eyes closed while other times he would stare at Temari while he thought. Temari for her part would read or do general upkeep around the apartment. The two of them almost looked like a married couple. They would share a few verbal exchanges but for the most part they were fairly quiet. Shikamaru was brought from his thoughts as Temari wiggled her rear a little more than what could be pasted off as just moving. He looked up to see Temari had a slightly impish grin oh her face. Shikamaru grinned back then said "I talked with the 5th today."

"About what?" Temari asked suspecting what he had gone there to talk about.

"We talked about the ninja exchange between our two countries." Shikamaru said. Temari made a sound that she was listening.

Shikamaru continued with "She asked if I would be willing to go to your country."

Temari paused in her cooking and said "And what did you say?"

"I told her I would prefer not to." Shikamaru answered.

Temari looked down at the food she had been preparing and said "I see."

"But if no one else volunteers to go then I guess I will go back to her and tell her that I will go." Shikamaru stated. Temari turned to see Shikamaru looking off to the side in the way that showed that he would do it for her. Temari turned back to her cooking with a smiled that could not be taken away for the rest of the day.

* * *

Sakura walked up to door leading to Tsunade's office and was about to let herself in when she heard Tsunade talking with Kakashi.

"You knew Sakura longer than I did when Sasuke was here. How do you think she would react to his return?" Tsunade asked Kakashi.

"Well at that time she was in love with him. Now it seems she is in love with Naruto." Kakashi answered.

"I understand that but how do you think she will react?" Tsunade pressed.

"I think she will be drawn to both and won't know who to pursue." Kakashi stated.

"And what makes you an expert on women's feelings?" Tsunade asked.

Kakashi looked at Tsunade in a way that said 'you asked what I thought.'

They remained silent for several minutes before Tsunade asked "How long do you think we can keep it from her."

If it could really happen, a large sweat drop would have appeared on Kakashi's forehead.

Sakura decided that was as good of a time to enter as any.

Tsunade watched Sakura as she approached and said "Oh, well I guess we don't have to try and keep it from you know." She then started laughing like she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

"Where is he?" Sakura almost pleaded.

Tsunade shook her head and said "We don't know."

Sakura turned her look of desperation to Kakashi. Kakashi walked up to Sakura and leaned forward slightly. He put his hand on her shoulder and said "All we know is that the sound is looking for him. And if they are looking for him that can only mean one thing. Either he was kidnapped by someone else, which is unlikely or he escaped."

Sakura looked hopeful.

"And we can only assume that he would return here if he ran away." Kakashi continued.

Sakura nodded in understanding. Kakashi stood up and looked to Tsunade. She motioned with her hand that he could leave. Kakashi left without saying anything else. Tsunade walked up to Sakura and grabbed Sakura by the collar of her dress then slung Sakura over her shoulder. Tsunade then walked down the hall with Sakura kicking and screaming to a training area. She then tossed Sakura to the ground. When Sakura didn't land properly Tsunade felt like pounding Sakura into the ground. She even made Sakura her apprentice and while she could perform advanced techniques she would still screw up on some of the easier ones to learn. But Sakura's failing was in her Tai-Jutsu. She was great in her ability to control chakra but she still wasn't that great at Tai-Jutsu. She was decent but could use more training.

* * *

As Hinata walked the streets she failed to notice where she was going. She wandered into a part of town that if you were looking, looked like the bad part of town. She continued to walk oblivious to her surroundings. She walked right through a group of 4 Genins. They didn't look at all happy that not only had she rudely walked through there space but she ignored them. One of them started to move towards her and he said "Hey!" Hinata turned around to see that no one was there. She figured she must have imagined it. But if she had looked around she would have seen 4 unconscious Genins against the wall on the opposite side of the street. Hinata just continued to walk, oblivious to the world around her.

* * *

Shino was walking the streets because he had been instructed to patrol the streets at this time. Shino saw Hinata and was going to walk over to her when a man drew his attention. The man was telling him about the 4 unconscious Genins. Shino followed the man to where the 4 Genin were so he could investigate.

* * *

Shikamaru and Temari were sitting at the table eating dinner when Temari asked "What's your favorite color?"

Shikamaru had never really thought about it. He closed his eyes and started thinking. He thought to himself what color can I live with? I already know that the color I say is most likely the color of stuff she is going to start putting up everywhere. Shikamaru then decided to go with "I don't have a favorite color. Although I do dislike pink." Temari nodded then went back to eating her dinner. Apparently this answer was good enough for her.

* * *

Naruto was pacing outside the main office for all ninjas. He was wondering what Sakura could still be doing in there. He was always through with his training by this time. So why wasn't she? He decided to go inside and search for her. He wanted to spend time with her. They hadn't been spending much time together at all. Naruto walked along and found the training area that Tsunade and Sakura were using. Naruto watched as Sakura was forced to only use Tai-jutsu. This allowed for Naruto to watch her body better. He liked that Sakura had grown he hair back out. He always thought that it looked better that way. Naruto watched for several more hours and finally feel asleep while Tsunade and Sakura were still sparring.

* * *

Hinata failed to noticed that it was now dark outside. She still continued to walk the streets of the village unable to come to a conclusion of what she wanted to do. She eventually came to a stop and looked up. What she saw was that the lanterns along the street had been lit. On the lanterns she saw the Uchiha family mark. As she looked around she could see that she had indeed wandered into the Uchiha manor. Hinata turned her head to her right and saw the snake she had seen earlier, pushing open the door to the house that she had visited many times.

"Pleasse, come in." Hissed the snake. Hinata bowed to the snake and walked inside. As she took off her footwear she was watched the snake slid the door closed. It then slithered by her. When she turned around she didn't see it. She was a little worried that she had lost sight of the snake. She didn't even know if it was venomous. Hinata stood up and walked to the doorway to the bedroom. She noticed that the covers had been slept in since she had been there. She walked to the bathroom and shut the door. After she finished she came back to the main room.

Hinata then thought to herself. I wonder why Sasuke choose this house. There are much nicer houses in the Uchiha manor. And with him being the only one left he could have chosen any one of them. She didn't consider that Sasuke might like small and simple. She sat down at the table. When she did the snake slithered up and said "The masster will be here ssoon. If you would pleasse wait. He wisshess to dine with you."

Hinata looked at the snake like it had grown an extra head. She had not expected this. She was able to accept a talking snake better than she could that thought of eating with whoever this snake's master is.

Hinata sat there nervously for several minutes. When she felt a draft of cold air she turned to face the door. There she saw a figure sitting on the step taking their footwear off. The only characteristics that she could tell was that the build suggested the person was male and that he had black hair.

"Welcome home masster." Hissed the snake.

The man turned to look at Hinata. When Hinata saw who it was she was left speechless.

* * *

Author's notes.

This one was just a little bit shorter than I wanted but it screamed for a chapter break. I probably won't update until after Christmas. So, Merry Christmas.

Also one of my faithful readers said that they don't like snakes and that after reading the last chapter wants to go out and hug one. Personally I don't like snakes at all but it fits for the story. Personally the only summon I like so far is Temari's. And does anyone else think this is turning into a Shikamaru/Temari pairing fanfic. It wasn't my intention. Really. Those two were only meant to be filler every now and then but material for them just seems to come to mind while I am writing.


	6. Chapter Six

A Possible Future by Jason Corley

Chapter Six

Hinata was speechless when she saw that the person in front of her was Sasuke. He stared at her for a moment but she couldn't look him in the eyes. She diverted her gaze and started fidgeting with her hands. Sasuke walked over to the counter. There he grabbed 2 plates, two pairs of chopsticks, a bowl of rice that had been prepared already, and the main dish which had also been prepared. He set the dishes down on the table. All the while Hinata watched without saying a word. Sasuke then returned to the kitchen part of the room. He grabbed a trivet, two cups, and picked up the tea kettle off the burner. He set the trivet down and put the kettle on top of it. Sasuke placed one of the cups in front of Hinata. He then sat down and poured some tea into her cup. Sasuke poured some of the rice onto his plate then started to scoop some of the vegetables and chicken on top of the rice on his plate. He looked up from what he was doing and looked Hinata in the eyes. Hinata was only able to maintain eye contact for a few seconds. She then picked up the tea kettle and poured some tea into Sasuke's cup. Hinata then followed Sasuke's example of preparing her plate. Hinata bowed slightly to Sasuke and said "Thank you for the meal." They both then started to eat in silence.

* * *

As Sakura and Tsunade were leaving the training area of the main office they came across Naruto sleeping in the doorway. Tsunade kept walking leaving Sakura to see to Naruto. Sakura nudged Naruto a little but he didn't seem to want to wake up. She grabbed his shoulder and shook him some. He still refused to wake up. Sakura then shook Naruto quite violently losing her patience. Naruto continued to sleep although now he was stretched out on his back on the floor instead of leaning against the doorway. Sakura sat there thinking to herself how to wake him up. She decided to do what she had read in the romance stories she read. She leaned over Naruto and kissed him. She pulled back from the light kiss she gave him expecting him to start waking up. The smile that was on her face after kissing him faltered and her eye twitched a couple times. She leaned over Naruto again and kiss him more deeply. When she still didn't feel anything in return she decided to try a new kind of kiss they hadn't tried. She pushed her tongue between Naruto's lips. He was denied further entrance because of Naruto's teeth. So she tried to pry them open using her tongue. She succeed in getting the tip of her tongue between Naruto's teeth but she had neglected to pay attention to how she was supporting her weight. She had when she knelt over Naruto put one leg between his and one leg on the other side of his leg. In Sakura's concentration to french kiss Naruto she had inadvertently moved her leg forward some. Sakura's knee came down on top of one of Naruto's testicles. Naruto bit down hard before opening his mouth to scream like a little girl. Sakura fell over backwards holding her mouth because her tongue hurt so much from where Naruto bit down on it. Naruto was curled up in a ball clutching his groin from pain. Sakura was sure she could taste blood. Sakura wanted to pound the ever living snot out of Naruto. But she just couldn't bring herself to since it was her own fault. She then looked on the bright side, at least Naruto was awake.

* * *

Sasuke poured another cup of tea for Hinata. Whenever Hinata would look up she would see Sasuke staring at her. It kept unnerving her when she tried to look him in the eyes. His eyes were so dark and cold. But they also had a look in them that showed a thirst for something. Hinata didn't see hatred in Sasuke's eyes. She had seen it in Neji's eyes especially when they fought. After Neji's match with Naruto, Neji lost the look of Hatred and gained a similar look to that of her father. The look that he is better than everyone. And Neji would look at her like she was worthless, just like her father would. Even her sister had that look when looking at Hinata. Sasuke didn't. Naruto had a fire burning in his eyes. A look of shear determination. Lee also had the look of shear determination. When Hinata would look in Kiba's eyes she would see a predatory look that sometimes scared her. While the look of thirst in Sasuke's eyes was unnerving it wasn't scary. Hinata had never seen into Shino's eyes and she didn't like using her Byakugan around him because seeing the bugs inside of Shino freaked her out. When Hinata would look into Sakura's eye she would see a look that showed falseness. It was almost like there was something hidden, a personality you couldn't see. But Sasuke was different from everyone else. He had a resigned look in his eyes. And yet he also had that look, like he was thirsting for something. Hinata couldn't think what it could be though. When Hinata finished her cup of tea Sasuke refilled it. Hinata then noticed that Sasuke's cup was empty and filled his. Hinata wanted to ask Sasuke many questions but she was afraid to. Sasuke watched as Hinata spoke wordless questions. He then answered by saying "I have been back for a few days now. And yes, I was following you. I came across you and I knew that you would lead me to Naruto."

Hinata looked up and came face to face with Sasuke's Sharingan. The red eyes with 3 black marks looked as if they could see everything. Hinata couldn't bring herself to turn from those eyes. They were so captivating. She felt that those eyes might be able to give her the answers she had been looking for. But because they looked as if they could see everything she became more unnerved than she had already been but she just couldn't look away. Sasuke closed his eyes for a second and when he opened them, the Sharingan was gone. Sasuke's eyes were back to the dark, cold, black orbs that thirsted.

Sasuke stood up and retrieved all the dishes save for the cups from the table. He took them over to the counter and set them down. He filled the kettle with water and started brewing more tea. Sasuke then proceeded to clean the dishes. Hinata watched in awe as Sasuke, the boy known for being heartless, washed dishes, something that normally only warm hearted people did before the dishes piled up. Hinata began to think that perhaps she had been right those many years ago when she thought they could be friends. Hinata was beginning to think that Sasuke was nice after all.

* * *

Naruto cried "Why did you do that? I didn't do anything."

"That's why." Sakura answered although she had done it by accident.

Naruto had a look of confusion and said "Huh? I don't understand."

"Well I'm not going to explain it to you." Sakura replied.

Naruto just followed along behind Sakura. Most of the lights in the village were out.

Naruto asked Sakura "Do you always train this long?"

Sakura smiled and said "yes."

"You train longer than I do." Naruto replied.

"Do you think so?" Sakura asked amused that Naruto hadn't figured out that she trained later and probably less.

"Hey Sakura." Naruto said which brought Sakura to a stop. She turned around to look at Naruto who said "We're near Shikamaru's apartment. Want to play a joke on him?"

"Naruto, we shouldn't." Sakura said but inside she was screaming 'hell yeah. Now this is more like it.'

Naruto and Sakura snuck up to Shikamaru's door and they were about to pound on it loudly when they heard something coming from inside. They heard what sounded like a muffled cry. Naruto and Sakura looked at each other. They then heard a slightly louder cry which sounded like a girl. Naruto and Sakura looked at each other again and nodded. Naruto kicked at the door and they were both inside the apartment before anyone knew what was going on. Both Naruto and Sakura froze when they saw what Shikamaru and Temari were doing. Naruto and Sakura back peddled as fast as they could out of Shikamaru's apartment closing the door behind them. They both stood stock still with a deep blush on there faces. After a moment longer they heard Temari's cries again. Both Naruto and Sakura took off running when they heard this.

They both came to a stop outside Naruto's apartment breathing heavily. Naruto walked to the door and opened it he then stepped in expecting Sakura to follow him, when she didn't he pocked his head out the door to look at Sakura. Sakura said angrily "You think I am coming in there for us to do that! You have got to be kidding! You're the worst Naruto!" She finished this by throwing a rock that happened to be lying at her feet. Naruto got beamed on the head and when he got up Sakura was storming off.

Naruto cried out "Sakura. It's not like that."

Sakura wasn't hearing any of it and continued to storm away. Naruto closed his door and went to bed.

* * *

After Sasuke finished with the dishes he returned to the table with a fresh kettle of tea. He then filled Hinata's cup. When Hinata filled Sasuke's before she lifted her cup to her mouth. As she sipped at it she could see Sasuke's reflection in the tea. She could see him staring at her but she didn't feel unnerved this way. Sasuke eventually spoke by saying "If you want to stay here, you may." Hinata looked up at Sasuke with a slight blush. Sasuke continued by saying "And if my being here bothers you then I can arrange to sleep else where."

Hinata replied by saying timidly "It's your home. I don't mind you being here. But is it really ok for me to stay?"

"It's not my home." Sasuke answered getting up from the table and walking to the door. He put his footwear on and opened the door. A cold draft came in as he left. Hinata felt like she had said something wrong. She watched as the snake slithered up to the table and coiled around Sasuke's cup and proceeded to take it to the kitchen area.

"Did I say something wrong?" Hinata asked the snake.

"Sss sss sss. The masster iss jusst like that. Pleasse dont take offensse." Hissed the snake.

Hinata sat longer waiting for Sasuke to return when the snake said to her "It'ss getting late. Won't you retire?"

Hinata got up and went to the bathroom before heading to the bedroom. As she was walking back from the bathroom she saw the snake carrying her cup and the teakettle to the counter. She was surprised the snake could do so much with out arms or legs. Hinata walked to the bed and slipped under the covers. That night she slept peacefully.

* * *

The follow morning it was raining. Kakashi was just standing there getting soaked as he stared at the memorial for ninjas killed in the line of duty. Kakashi ignored the person approaching him because he was not done talking to his friends.

"I knew I would find you here." Sasuke said standing beside Kakashi also looking at the memorial.

Kakashi turned to look at Sasuke with a slight expression of surprise. "You do know that you are considered a traitor don't you." Kakashi asked of his old student.

"Yes." Sasuke replied.

"Then why are you back?" Kakashi asked.

"If I had stayed any longer I wouldn't have been able to achieve my goal." Sasuke answered.

"Is your goal still the same as it was?" Kakashi asked readying himself to fight.

"Yes. I still plan on killing my brother." Sasuke said looking at Kakashi. Kakashi was able to see that Sasuke's Sharingan had the third mark now.

Kakashi stood there thinking for a minute and was brought out of his thoughts when Sasuke spoke "I'd like to participate in the Chuunin Exam."

Kakashi looked at Sasuke and considered what he was saying. They stared at each other for awhile before Kakashi said "I have orders to bring you in, if I found you."

Sasuke smirked then said "Lead the way."

* * *

Shikamaru woke up with Temari sleeping on his arm. He knew he had to get his arm free because he had to go to the main office that morning. He settled with watching Temari sleep as he thought of a plan. Shikamaru's mind wondered to how Temari and he seemed to be planning a future together without really planning it. He had never thought seriously about any girl before. He had dated Ino for a time but it just wasn't going to work between them he thought. She was too noisy. He didn't like Sakura for the same reason. But at least Sakura was smarter. Temari was definitely smart enough. Temari wasn't noisy. And Temari definitely looked good. Even though he had told Chouji that guys actually prefer a little more meat on women he had lied so that Chouji would feel better. Shikamaru did actually prefer thinner women. But not to the extent that they starve themselves. Shikamaru noticed from Temari's eating habits that she wasn't the type of girl that could eat anything and not gain weight. Temari appeared to eat in a similar way to him. Eat what you want but not over eat. Shikamaru's thoughts were interrupted as Temari's eyes opened. Shikamaru smiled warmly. Temari smiled back and leaned forward to kiss him. When they broke the kiss Shikamaru said "I have to go." Temari nodded and rolled over. Shikamaru got out of bed and got dressed. While he put his Chuunin jacket on he looked at Temari who had already gone back to sleep. He smiled to himself as he put his footwear on. Shikamaru left as quietly as he could so he wouldn't wake Temari.

* * *

Kakashi and Sasuke were shown into Tsunade's office as soon as they arrived. Tsunade looked up sleepily. She stared at both of them annoyed that they had to come so early. Tsunade then started working on the paper work that was on her desk. Kakashi and Sasuke both stood there waiting. Tsunade eventually turned her attention to the two of them and said "It doesn't look like he put up much of a fight. I guess he didn't learn as much from Orochimaru as I though he would have."

Kakashi replied by saying "Sasuke wishes to participate in the Chuunin Exam."

Tsunade looked a little annoyed and asked "For who's county?"

"The Country of Fire." Sasuke answered staring at Tsunade.

"You think we will let you back just like that?" Tsunade asked annoyance in her voice.

"This is my county." Sasuke answered.

"Then how do you explain your leaving to join the Sound?" Tsunade questioned.

Sasuke explained by saying "I never joined the Sound. I merely took some personal time and went after Orochimaru to gain power."

"Wouldn't you call that joining them." Tsunade argued.

"No." Sasuke answered.

"Orochimaru wouldn't train you without some kind of assurance that you were on his side." Tsunade nearly yelled.

"Orochimaru trained me personally to keep an eye on what I learned and on me. He didn't want me escaping. I am his precious heir after all." Sasuke said condescendingly to the 5th hokage.

Tsunade looked pissed. Sasuke grinned.

"Then how did you escape.?" Inquired Tsunade.

"Orochimaru didn't train me all the time. He did have other stuff to do." Sasuke answered.

"He must have had you guarded." Tsunade argued.

"I trained often with Kabuto. After training with both of them getting past the guards was easy." Sasuke explained.

"There must have been more you could have learned from Orochimaru?" Tsunade asked.

"Yes." Sasuke replied.

"Then why leave?" Tsunade pressed.

"Because even I knew that sticking around longer is would be too dangerous." Sasuke said flatly.

Tsunade resumed her paper work. Kakashi watch Sasuke the whole time. He could already tell that Sasuke's control was much better than it was. Orochimaru would be a tough person to be an apprentice to. Kakashi could easily imagine Sasuke having trained all day, everyday, for the last two and a half years with the best that the country of the sound could muster. Kakashi wondered just how strong Sasuke had become.

Tsunade finally spoke by saying "Kakashi. You are to resume Sasuke's training. And if you feel that it is appropriate you may let him join in the Chuunin Exam. I have work I have to attend to."

Kakashi and Sasuke both turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" Kakashi asked Sasuke.

Sasuke stopped walking and replied "I've had enough training for the Chuunin Exam. I feel like taking a little break." Sasuke then resumed walking. Kakashi had not expected Sasuke to refuse training. This also negated an opportunity to see how strong Sasuke had gotten.

* * *

Hinata woke up feeling rested. She heard the voice of the snake hiss "Sss sss sss. Yess masster." Hinata got out of bed and walked into the main room. She saw both the snake and Sasuke. Hinata bowed to them. The snaked bowed in return but Sasuke remained still. Hinata started to fidget some. She also started eyeing the bathroom. Sasuke said "Breakfast will be served in 15 minutes." He then walked to the kitchen part of the room and started preparing breakfast. Hinata disappeared to the bathroom.

When she returned she asked "Can I help?"

"You're a guest." Sasuke replied like that explained everything. Hinata sat down at the table and waited. Sasuke eventually put there breakfast on the table and they began eating.

"Do you plan on entering the Chuunin Exam this time?" Sasuke asked Hinata. Hinata looked up at Sasuke but then looked back down at her food. Sasuke waited for Hinata to answer.

"I want to. But I don't have anyone to train with. Kiba won't get back in time for us to train. And...My family won't train with me." Hinata explained.

Sasuke put down his chopsticks and asked "Have you finished your breakfast?" Hinata nodded. Sasuke stood up and walked to the door where he put on his footwear. "Follow me." Commanded Sasuke as he opened the door and walked outside. Hinata quickly got up and ran to the door to put on her footwear. She then closed the door before following Sasuke.

"Sss sss sss." Laughed the snake as he cleared the table.

* * *

Later that day Naruto and Jiraiya were at Naruto's favorite ramen shop. Naruto was stuffing his face having avoided a sever beating that day. Kakashi walked in and said "Sasuke will be your team member in the Chuunin Exam this time."

Naruto spit out his food and turned around to Kakashi and yelled "Sasuke! Where is he?"

"Hmm...I don't know." Kakashi replied.

Naruto fell to the floor.

"He said he was going to take a little break." Kakashi informed Naruto.

"When did Sasuke get back?" Naruto continued to yell.

"Hmm...I don't know." Kakashi said but before Naruto could react continued "But I only saw him this morning."

"I have to tell Sakura." Naruto said running out of the ramen shop leaving his bowl there.

* * *

Sakura woke like usual to her mother yelling. She yelled back saying she was up. When her mother started yelling again she ignored her at first but when she realized it wasn't the same yelling as usual she listened to what was being said. After she figured out someone was outside who wanted to see her. Still groggy from staying up late the previous night she staggered over to the window and opened it. She saw the last person she wanted to see, Naruto. Unfortunately for her Naruto saw more of her than she had intended. Sakura had once again opened her window before getting dressed. Blood shot out of Naruto's nose and he fell over backwards. Sakura was about to throw something but saw that Naruto was passed out and decided not to. She backed into her room and dressed herself before heading downstairs to eat her breakfast. She felt that Naruto could wait having gotten a free peak like that.

* * *

Author's Notes

Does anyone know of a home cooked Japanese breakfast? I don't. So just imagine what you want them to have for breakfast.


	7. Chapter Seven

A Possible Future by Jason Corley

Chapter Seven

Hinata chased after Sasuke down the street of the Uchiha manor. They were heading deeper into the manor. They eventually came to the Uchiha training grounds. Sasuke grabbed a kunai from one of the targets then threw it at Hinata. Hinata didn't have time to think, she just moved out of the way and readied herself for combat. Sasuke charged at her without warning. Hinata blocked as fast as she could. But it seemed like every time she blocked one attack Sasuke would throw another one harder and faster right after it. She was forced on more of a defensive than she had ever been. She missed one of Sasuke's kicks and was hit in the stomach sending her flying backwards a few feet. She coughed out some of her breakfast. When she looked up she saw a kick coming right at her face. She wasn't ready and closed her eyes ready for the hit.

* * *

Sakura was standing over Naruto trying to decide what she was going to do to him. She knew he wasn't going to wake up no matter what she did except for one thing. Sakura took one step back from Naruto.

* * *

Shikamaru stood guard on the parapet. He watched out across the forest. He sighed and said "How troublesome."

* * *

Jiraiya walked into Tsunade's office. Tsunade looked up from her paperwork and asked "What do you want?"

Jiraiya looked at her and said "I hear Sasuke's back."

Tsunade didn't answer. She just continued to work on her paperwork. Jiraiya looked a little annoyed and then continued "I also hear he's going to participate in the Chuunin Exam."

Tsunade continued to work as she said "So Kakashi already decided to let him enter huh?"

Jiraiya still looked annoyed with Tsunade "And who is he going to be teamed with?"

Tsunade put aside the scroll she had been looking at. Jiraiya looked pleased. Tsunade then pulled another scroll out of her desk and started reading that one. Jiraiya then got an insulted expression. He was about to say something when Tsunade said "Naruto and Sakura. They are still a team."

"Sasuke tried to kill Naruto." Jiraiya stated with an annoyed voice.

"He could have but he didn't. And he has returned in what looks like good faith. He is being watched though." Tsunade replied.

* * *

Sakura stepped forward and kicked. Her calculated kick landed in Naruto's groin causing him to wake up and curl up in a ball clutching his balls. He looked up at her with tears coming out of his eyes and squeaked "Why?"

* * *

Hinata felt the force of the kick hit her, knocking her backwards. She opened her eyes and started to steady herself but right when she focused on Sasuke she saw a punch being thrown at her. She blocked it instinctually. She resumed her heavy defense. Her arms were starting to get sore from the constant blocking. Her legs felt weak from the two hits that had connected. She felt sick from that first hit. She had no time to think. She could only focus on fighting. If she diverted any of her attention she would get hit again. She was so forced that she didn't have time to think to use her Byakugan or any weapons.

* * *

Sakura screamed at Naruto "What? When did he get back?"

Naruto responded by saying "Kakashi said he saw him this morning."

"Have you seen him?" Asked Sakura. Naruto shook his head. Sakura continued "I have to find him." She got up and started running. Naruto jumped up and followed.

* * *

As the fight wore on Hinata's arms began to feel heavy. When she had trained with anyone else they would train enough so it was a workout and it would often be continuous with a few breaks but the constant barrage of attacks from Sasuke had been going on for 3 hours now. She had been struck several times with no time to breath. She had a bloody nose but even then Sasuke continued. She tried running one time but Sasuke had done a sweep kick and was about to land an axe kick on her if she hadn't moved. From what Hinata could tell she had pissed off Sasuke and now he was really trying to hurt her. Hinata felt like the fight had slowed down as the fight progressed. She knew that both fighters would get tired after a long fight but Sasuke didn't look tired at all. Hinata's front hand dropped from position. She didn't even see the attack but she felt it. Her eye felt like it was going to explode and she spun around before hitting the ground. She tried to move but couldn't make herself. She was completely spent. She had to concentrate to keep her eyes focused. She kept expecting another attack but it never came. She strained to hear what Sasuke was doing because she couldn't move at all. She then watched as the ground got farther away only to lose sight of it completely and be replaced by the sky. She felt like she was flying. She turned her head and felt like the whole world was spinning. When she could focus again she saw Sasuke's face. He looked determined. She thought that was just like him. She then turned her head again and the world for her spun again. When she could focus she saw the ground rushing up to them. She was ready to feel herself land hard only to see the ground falling away. Hinata continued to feel the sensation of flight and watch as the ground continued to rise and fall. Eventually it stopped.

Sasuke carried Hinata into a larger house than the one they had been in that morning. Sasuke took Hinata into the bathroom and laid her down. He used the bucket of water to get the pump working and he started the tub filling up. He removed her footwear and tossed them aside. Sasuke unzipped Hinata's jacket and lifted her slowly out of it. He untied her forehead protector from around her neck and placed it aside. He then untied the draw sting on Hinata's pants and slipped them off of her. Sasuke leaned Hinata up into a sitting position and gently lifted her shirt up over her head. Hinata rolled her head back and felt the world spin again. Sasuke gingerly picked Hinata off the floor and placed her in the tub. He supported her to make sure she wouldn't slip under the surface of the water. Sasuke grabbed a washcloth and started to wash away the grit and grim from there fight. Sasuke looked at each and every bruise he caused her. When he looked at her face she looked at him. Hinata saw a look of concern on his face. He washed away the blood from under Hinata's nose. Hinata turned her head and felt the world spin. Sasuke couldn't help but notice that even though Hinata had on a bra and panties they didn't hide anything anymore after being soaked in the tub. Sasuke let go of the washcloth and unclasped Hinata's bra. He tossed it aside with the rest of her clothes. Hinata opened her eyes and watched as Sasuke hooked his fingers into her panties and heard him gulp audibly before slipping them off of her. He tossed them aside and resumed cleaning her. When he had finished cleaning the numerous wounds he himself had inflicted he let the tub drain as he took Hinata out. He toweled her off without assistance from Hinata. He wrapped her in a towel and carried her to one of the bedrooms. He placed her down on the bed and left the room. Hinata turned her head so she could see the door. She could see it but it was spinning. When it stopped she saw Sasuke come back in. Sasuke took the towels off her and put a kimono on her. As he tied the front closed he said "This is the only one I thought would fit you." It was a simple blue Kimono that matched the color of Sasuke's shirt and like Sasuke's shirt had the Uchiha clan symbol on it. Sasuke pulled the covers back on the bed and laid Hinata down. He then pulled the covers up over her. Sasuke left the room again. Hinata closed her eyes and felt like dying. She was bruised, beaten, and humiliated by Sasuke. She hated him. She had thought he was nice in his own way. She had followed him not knowing what to expect. Then when they got to the training ground she was excited. She thought they were going to train together. She had not expected that first throw. And then he attacked her and just kept on attacking. She could have forgiven the beating and the injuries because that was what happened when you train or lose a fight. You can get hurt. She didn't hate him for that. No, she hated him for stripping her down, cleaning her, dressing her, humiliating her...Hinata's thoughts were paused as she felt an ice pack being placed on the worse of the injuries and a warm blanket being placed over her soothing her sore muscles some. Hinata resumed her thoughts...treating her wounds, taking care of her, stroking her cheek...Hinata opened her eyes in confusion. Her eyes focused on Sasuke's. She could see sorrow, guilt, shame, and ...pride? She saw Sasuke's mouth open to speak "I'm sorry." It was a heart felt apology. It was simple but she could see it in his eyes, hear it in his voice, and feel it in her heart. She nodded. She decided that his expression never looked like he was taking advantage of her.

Hinata thought she could hear from the hall, the snake laugh "Sss sss sss."

* * *

Sakura and Naruto stopped on the roof of a building. They were both breathing hard from there search for Sasuke. They had not found him anywhere. Neither of them had thought to check the Uchiha manor. Even while resting Sakura looked back and forth down the street frantically from there vantage point on the roof. Naruto watched Sakura wondering how this would affect them. Naruto saw Sakura's expression change to that of looking hopeful so he turned his gaze to see what Sakura saw. Naruto didn't see Sasuke though. Sakura jumped off the roof down to the ground and started running through the crowd. Naruto followed right behind her. Sakura called out "Kakashi." They stopped running when they came up to Kakashi. He turned around to look at him. Sakura then continued "Kakashi, have you seen Sasuke since this morning?" Kakashi looked like he was thinking about it.

He then smiled and said "No."

Sakura's expression fell.

Kakashi continued to smile and said "Don't worry. He's back. You'll see him eventually. He's just taking a break. I wouldn't be surprised if he is just getting some sleep."

* * *

Sasuke removed the ice from Hinata's wounds feeling they had been there long enough. He pulled the blanket up over her sleeping form a little more. He couldn't help but wonder to himself if he saw a slight smile on Hinata's sleeping face. Sasuke reached down and moved a stray hair out of her face. He then walked out of the room with the ice. He walked down the hall to the kitchen and deposited the ice into the sink.

Sasuke heard the snake hiss amusedly "Sss sss sss. Why did you choosse this housse?"

"It was the closest one to the training grounds." Sasuke answered.

The snaked stared at Sasuke for a little before saying "Are you ssure that iss the reasson. It lookss like you are getting pretty comfy in thiss housse already." Sasuke turned to glare at the snake. The snake stared back and said "You sseemed more flusstered thiss time than you did with the girlss back in the country of ssound." Sasuke turned away as he remembered the instances the snake was referring to.

* * *

Sasuke was lying on the ground. Beaten very badly by Orochimaru. Orochimaru walked off leaving Sasuke on the ground. Sasuke couldn't focus on anything. His vision was red in one eye and his other eye was swelling shut. Sasuke had definitely seen better days. He then felt two pairs of small hands lifting him up. His head hung forward. He did not resist as his arms were placed over the shoulders of two people. He felt each hand brush up against a breast and the forms against his sides holding him up felt like a feminine form. He would have looked to either side to confirm this thought but he didn't care so he just closed his eyes and let them carry him. He was carried to a room where the one of the girls took Sasuke's shirt off while the other held him up. His shorts and undershorts were both removed. Sasuke heard the girls giggle but he still didn't open his eyes. He felt himself being passed from one of them to the other. When he was received he felt pressed against his back the naked form of a girl. He then felt a feminine form press against him from the front and he was then carried into a very large bathtub by both of the girls. He felt the warm water soothing his muscles. He then felt the hands of both women start to roam his body. He was starting to feel a little warm but not because of the water. The girls caresses turned into a light massage. The tension in his muscles started to fade some. The massage gradually got harder and harder.

"You're so tense Master Sasuke." Said one of the girls.

"But we'll get you to relax." Said the other girl.

Sasuke didn't care. He just enjoyed the massage and warm water. He didn't feel tense at all. After a while Sasuke could tell that the girls were getting tired from the massage because the rate had slowed tremendously. He then heard one of them ask "Why are you so tense?"

Sasuke still didn't open his eyes when he said "I'm more relaxed than I have been in the last...I don't know how long." The two girls exchanged a look of sorrow.

One of the girls then said "Don't worry. We will help you relax even more."

"That's right Master Sasuke." followed the other girl.

Sasuke then heard from somewhere off in the room a quiet "Sss sss sss."

The snake asked him "Do you plan on repeating for her what they did for you that firsst time they cleaned you after a fight?"

Sasuke turned his head to look at the snake with his Sharingan activated and replied with a rather loud quick "No." Sasuke then turned away blushing.

The snake laughed "Sss sss sss."

Sasuke was helped out of the water by the two girls. He felt the two girls dry him off. He was carried to another room that wasn't far away and laid down on a bed. The girls had laid down with him in the process of laying him down. He wondered why they didn't leave. They both leaned against him. For the first time since they picked him up he opened his eyes. Sasuke saw to his left a girl with long light brown hair in a single braid. Her eyes were a sapphire blue. Sasuke looked over at the girl on his right. She looked exactly the same except she had dirty blond hair. Sasuke looked back and forth between the two. The two girls giggled at Sasuke's reaction. The blond said "We're twins." Sasuke seemed to accept this answer. The brunette asked "Master Sasuke? Will you accept us?" Sasuke looked at her not understanding her question. The brunette repeated her question a different way "Will you please accept us Master Sasuke?" Sasuke stared into the pleading eyes of this girl.

Sasuke responded "I can't accept you. You're not a thing."

"Yes we are." Replied the brunette.

When the blond spoke Sasuke turned to look at her "Orochimaru bought us and said he might have a use for us later. We were locked away with other women. Sometimes he would come and take a woman. Then later another one would be summoned to clean up. The second one would return and tell the rest of us of what was left of the first woman. Then one day he came in and told my sister and I to come with him. He told us he was giving us to you as a present. So if you refuse us there is no telling what he will do."

The brunette pleaded "Please Master Sasuke. Please accept my sister and I."

Sasuke closed his eyes in thought.

"Please." Begged the brunette.

Sasuke asked without opening his eyes "What are your names?"

"Tora." Answered the blond. Author note: Tora means Tiger

"Raion." Replied the brunette. Author note: Raion means Lion

Sasuke asked "Did your father like big cats?"

"No" answered Tora

"But mother did. And father loved mother very much, master Sasuke." Replied Raion.

Sasuke then asked "What happened to your parents?"

"They died." Raion replied.

"They were killed." Answered Tora.

Sasuke was silent in thought for some time.

"Have you decided?" Tora asked after quite sometime.

"Please master Sasuke. Please accept us." Raion begged.

Sasuke answered in an annoyed voice "Fine."

The two girls gasped in happiness.

Sasuke continued thinking they didn't understand "I accept you."

The two girls hugged him fondly. They said thank you many times. Sasuke still did not have the energy to move much less get them off.

"We must thank you properly." Tora said. Sasuke opened his eyes to see an impish grin plastered on both Tora and Raion's faces.

* * *

Sasuke shook his head.

"Ssorry you left them behind?" Hissed the snake.

Sasuke walked out of the room and out of the house without answering the snake.

"Sss sss sss."

* * *

Shikamaru was walking down the stairs coming off the parapets of the village. He was tired from the long boring day of guard duty. He didn't actually mind pulling guard duty as much as most other Chuunins did. He didn't really want to become a Jounin. He knew the current Jounins all wanted him to because they knew he would make a great Jounin if he would just become a better fighter. Shikamaru actually hadn't increased his fighting ability much since he became a Chuunin. Neji, Lee, and Tenten were all gunning for Jounin. They couldn't wait. That is partially the reason they would sign up for away missions while Shikamaru was happy to pull guard duty. It was an easy pay check. It easily paid for his apartment. He wondered how much money he would start to lose living with a woman. He shrugged it off. Other than paying bills he didn't really use the money he earned. Over the last two and a half years he had stockpiled a large sum of money. Shikamaru walked along to his apartment. When he opened the door and walked in he didn't see Temari. He looked around the room and found her fan in the corner, which meant she had not left. Shikamaru was still nervous about her leaving even though he wasn't sure if he wanted her to stay. Shikamaru walked over to the nightstand and picked up a note that read 'Went for a walk. Be back to make dinner.' Shikamaru put the note down and smiled. He walked to the bathroom having decided to take a shower.

* * *

Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura were all sitting in a cafe having a late lunch. Kakashi said "Sakura, aren't you suppose to be practicing with Tsunade?"

"I have to find Sasuke? I have to see him." Sakura replied.

Naruto was eating a bowl of ramen. He ate ramen no matter where he went.

"May I sit?" Asked a voice. They all looked over to see Sasuke standing there.

* * *

Author's Notes

This chapter is a little incoherent isn't it? I had most of the chapter done before I thought it tasted wrong. It doesn't really seem to fit which made me want to delete it but it is what I wanted to happen which is why it's still here. It just has an out of place feel to it I think.

I created two of my very own characters. Tora and Raion. Petite twin girls each with a long braid. The only difference being there personality and hair color. They are one year younger than Sasuke.

Note about the sexual scenes. In the US it is illegal for minors under the age of 16 to have sex. All characters are fictional and the story is set in a semi-feudal time which allow me to write of this type of material. In feudal times it wasn't uncommon for people to have sex at a very early age. It was actually fairly common for a girl to have a child of her own before she was 14.


	8. Chapter Eight

A Possible Future by Jason Corley

Chapter Eight

Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura were all sitting in a cafe having a late lunch. Kakashi said "Sakura, aren't you suppose to be practicing with Tsunade?"

"I have to find Sasuke? I have to see him." Sakura replied.

Naruto was eating a bowl of ramen. He ate ramen no matter where he went.

"May I sit?" Asked a voice. They all looked over to see Sasuke standing there.

Sakura cried out Sasuke's name as she lunged at him and hugged him. Sasuke did not return the hug but he also did not push Sakura away. Naruto looked a little sad at this but then his expression changed to that of anger.

Naruto yelled "Sasuke!" as he moved in for a hard punch. Naruto saw that Sasuke still had not looked over had him and knew he was going to finally get a good punch in against Sasuke. Right before Naruto's punch connected Sasuke put his hand up and caught Naruto's punch. Sasuke turned his head to face Naruto.

Sasuke said "You're slow." Naruto withdrew his punch and glared at Sasuke

Naruto said loudly "What were you thinking?"

Sasuke ignored Naruto and also ignored the fact that Sakura was crying on him. Kakashi sat there eating his dinner. Naruto waited for an answer and when he didn't get one he reached out and grabbed Sasuke's collar. Naruto pulled Sasuke away from Sakura and held Sasuke off his feet by the collar. Sasuke stared down at Naruto and grinned. Naruto's pupils started to turn into slits. Naruto drew one hand back and threw his punch at Sasuke's face. Sasuke once again caught Naruto's punch. Naruto stared into Sasuke's eyes and saw that he did not have his Sharingan activated. Kakashi looked as if he had been watching the last exchange but had gone back to eating. Sasuke opened his mouth to speak "May I sit?" Naruto glared at Sasuke who still had hold of his punch even though he was trying to withdraw this hand. Sakura drew back and punched down on Naruto's head. Naruto dropped Sasuke and grabbed his sore head.

Sakura said "Don't be mean to Sasuke."

Naruto looked over to Sakura and said "But..."

Sakura interrupted Naruto "I don't care. Sasuke is back. Lets forget the past. Sasuke, you can sit next to me." Sakura then sat down pulling Sasuke by the arm to sit next to her which next to her was Naruto's seat. Sasuke didn't sit though. He pulled his arm free and sat next to Kakashi. Naruto got up and sat down next to Sakura. Even though Sakura was still crying she looked happy. Naruto decided to forgive Sasuke since he was back. Sasuke ordered his food and a drink while Naruto, Sakura, and even Kakashi all ordered seconds.

After they had started eating Naruto asked "Where's your forehead protector?"

Kakashi looked at Naruto since he had given it to Naruto.

Sasuke looked at Naruto and said "I didn't take it with me."

Naruto said angrily holding up the forehead protector that Sasuke had dropped and had a line through the Konoha leaf "I don't mean this one. I mean the one from when you were with Orochimaru."

Sasuke looked at Naruto like he was in idiot. "The one you hold in your hand is the only one I've ever worn."

Naruto stared at Sasuke.

Sasuke said "I would like it back since I have to have it to be promoted to Chuunin.

Naruto responded with "I'm not giving it back. You have to earn it. Lets step outside."

Sasuke activated his Sharingan and before Naruto could move Sasuke had the forehead protector in his hand. Kakashi quit eating when he saw how fast Sasuke had gotten. Sasuke was about the same speed as himself now. Kakashi watched as Sasuke put the forehead protector on. Naruto stared at his now empty hand. Sakura looked back and forth between Naruto and Sasuke. Sasuke resumed eating. Naruto sat back down and stared at Sasuke.

* * *

Shikamaru watched Temari cook dinner. He was actually watching Temari instead of what she was cooking. Shikamaru asked "Do you like to cook?"

Temari looked over he shoulder and asked "Don't you like my cooking?"

Shikamaru sighed then said "I just wanted to know if you like to cook."

Temari said "You didn't answer my question."

Shikamaru responded "You didn't answer mine."

The two stared at each other but Temari's attention was pulled away by the food she was preparing. When she was finished she brought the food to the table and served it.

"Thank you for the food." Shikamaru said before he started eating.

Temari and Shikamaru ate in silence. When they were done Shikamaru said "It was good."

Temari smiled and said "I enjoyed making it." After that the tension in the air was gone.

* * *

After they were done eating Kakashi, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura all walked out of the cafe. Kakashi came up with a bad excuse to leave and left. This left Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura standing outside the cafe alone. Sasuke started to walk off. Sakura called out Sasuke's name. Sasuke turned around and Sakura asked "Where are you going?"

Sasuke replied simply "Home."

Sakura didn't reply right away so Sasuke turned back around and started walking. Naruto watch this whole exchange feeling that Sakura would return back to the way she had been. Naruto said to Sakura "Why don't we go to my apartment." Sakura stiffened at this and stared at Sasuke to watch for a reaction. There was none. He kept walking. Sakura then jogged a few steps to catch up to Sasuke. Naruto followed and said "Hey Sakura. Hey."

Sakura stopped and stammered out "Sa...Sasuke. Can...Can I come with you?" Sasuke stopped walking. Naruto stopped behind Sakura and stared at her. Sakura for her part was blushing a deep red.

Sasuke was silent for a bit then said "Not this time." He then resumed walking.

Sakura's expression fell. Naruto walked up to her and put his hand on her shoulder. He whispered her name which caused her to turn around and bury her head into Naruto's chest while she cried. Naruto put his arms around her and hugged her reassuringly.

* * *

When Sasuke returned to the new house he was staying in, he went to check on Hinata. She was still sleeping peacefully. He could tell she was going to have a shiner but it didn't look like it was going to be too bad. Sasuke couldn't bring himself to wake her up. He sat down a chair and started reading a scroll. He then heard from the hall the snake laugh "Sss sss sss."

* * *

Neji, Lee, and Tenten were sitting around a campfire.

Tenten said "I can't wait till tomorrow."

"Why's that?" Asked Lee.

"Because we get to go home. I'm tired of being on patrol." Tenten replied.

"Why do you sign up for them if you don't like them?" Neji asked.

Tenten propped up her chin in her hands and said "It pays better." Lee and Neji both looked at her.

Lee spoke first "Why do you need the extra money?"

Tenten thought about it then said "The faster I earn money and invest it the sooner I can retire from being a ninja."

Lee asked confused "Then why be a ninja instead of something else?"

Tenten replied "Because being a ninja pays well."

Neji thought about his own reasons. It was because he needed the skills to protect the head family. It was the duty of the branch family to protect the head family. If he wasn't doing this he would be pulling a watch at the Hyuuga manor. Neji preferred to be on missions. The trio fell into silence for the night.

* * *

Naruto and Sakura walked into Naruto's apartment together. They sat down on Naruto's bed together. Sakura leaned against Naruto and they sat there. Eventually Sakura asked "Why? Why doesn't Sasuke like me? Am I ugly?"

Naruto couldn't believe what he was hearing and said "No. You aren't ugly. You're beautiful."

"Then why? Why doesn't Sasuke like me? Why..." Sakura was interrupted by Naruto kissing her. She wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck and let herself get lost in the kiss.

* * *

Shino is walking around the village and is walking by Naruto's apartment when he hears Sakura scream "Naruto you pervert! Let go of me!" followed by the sound of someone being hit very hard. Shino then sees the door fly open and Sakura storming out of Naruto's apartment. Shino doesn't think this is out of the ordinary so he turns around and continues walking. During his walk he also walked by Shikamaru's apartment and heard screaming of a different kind. Shino stared at the door for a minute thinking if this was ok or if he needed to investigate. He then heard a girl cry out Shikamaru's name. Shino looked like he was about to blush and decided the didn't want to find out what was going on, so he continued walking.

* * *

Sakura proceeded to Tsunade's office and walked in. Tsunade looked up with an annoyed expression. Tsunade said to Sakura "You better have a good reason for being list late for you lessons."

Sakura looked a little worried and said "I was looking for Sasuke."

Tsunade still looked annoyed and asked "Did you find him?" Sakura nodded her head.

Tsunade said "Good. I hope there are no problems because you, Naruto, and Sasuke will be on the same team for the Chuunin exam this time. And since you wasted my time you will not be allowed to train with me tonight." Sakura didn't not move.

Tsunade waved her hand at Sakura and said "You may leave."

Sakura took a couple steps away when Tsunade said "Of course you may still train in my presence if you wish." Sakura turned around and smiled Tsunade. Sakura ran over to the table she always used and starting training. Tsunade smirked to herself.

* * *

The following morning Hinata woke up to see Sasuke sitting in a chair next to her. He had is arm propped up on the arm rest with his head resting on his fist. Hinata smiled because she felt cared for. She decided to stay in bed and just watch Sasuke sleep since it was the first time she got to.

* * *

Even though Neji had been the first up Tenten had rush them through breakfast so that they could head back to the village. They had finished there assigned time on patrol and were to report back. As they traveled they passed a couple of travelers but no ninjas and the travelers seemed ok. Neji, Lee, and Tenten were all ready to get back home.

* * *

Naruto got up off the floor feeling lousy. He didn't know what had come over him the previous night. After he had kissed Sakura she had slid her tongue into his mouth. He did the same with her and they explored each other's mouth with there tongues. Sakura pulled closer to Naruto and Naruto let one hand slide down from Sakura's waist to her butt. Sakura did protest so Naruto gave a small squeeze which elected a low moan from Sakura. Naruto took this as the green light to be more aggressive. Naruto moved his other hand to Sakura's breast and squeezed. Sakura screamed and called him a pervert. She then beat the living snot out of him. Naruto was now nursing a wound before his fight with the perverted hermit which he was late for. Naruto was not looking forward to the day. He then left in a hurry to meet Jiraiya.

* * *

Shikamaru woke up with Temari next to him. He thought it was amazing how things had progressed from them joking around to them having a serious relationship. Shikamaru got out of bed and got dressed. He was putting his footwear on and looked back to see if Temari had stirred. She hadn't. He wasn't that surprised, she had been rather worn out the night before. Shikamaru smiled at the memory. He then left to take watch on the parapet of the village.

* * *

As Hinata watched Sasuke sleep she saw his eyes start to move a lot behind his eyelids. Hinata could tell he was dreaming. Hinata then heard Sasuke's breathing increase. His breathing got faster and faster like he was running. Hinata looked a little sad because she could tell he was having a nightmare. Suddenly Sasuke sat strait up. He looked at her then stood up and walked out of the room. Hinata sat up as he was leaving. Hinata swung her feet out of the bed and stood up. She adjusted the kimono without thinking about it. She then walked down the hall to the bathroom. When she was done she walked down the hall looking for Sasuke. She found him in the kitchen cooking. She leaned against the wall half hiding behind it. Sasuke never seemed to divert his attention from the cooking. Hinata crept into the kitchen and started making tea. Hinata walked up next to Sasuke and looked at what he was cooking. Hinata grabbed the knife laying on the counter and started to chop the vegetables while Sasuke cooked eggs. Once Sasuke put the eggs on the two plates Hinata slid the vegetable off into the frying pan. Sasuke then started to stir fry the vegetables. Hinata walked over to the rice cooker placed some on the plates. When Sasuke finished he placed the vegetable on the rice and put the pan to the side. Sasuke grabbed two pairs of chopsticks and the plates. He then walked out of the room. Hinata grabbed the tea kettle and two cups before following Sasuke. Sasuke set the plates down and sat down facing the wall. Hinata placed the cups and the tea kettle on the table before sitting down facing the door. Author's note: it is considered proper for the guest to face the door to the room and for the host to have there back to the door. Sasuke filled Hinata's cup as she did this. Hinata then filled Sasuke's cup. During breakfast Sasuke asked Hinata "Do you feel up to doing a light training today?" Hinata looked up a little surprised.

Hinata said after a moments thought "It...It must feel like a waste of time to train with me."

Sasuke shook his head "You are quite good. If we train that hard every other day till the Chuunin exam you will do well in the one on one fights."

Hinata thought for a moment. Training extensively for a day then taking a break the next day was pretty normal but after a fight like the previous day she should barely be able to move. After a fight like that she should rest for two days. But here she was moving fine and felt like she would be ready the next day. She then asked "Why don't I feel worse from yesterday?"

Sasuke grinned "I learned a few first aid jutsu from Kabuto." Hinata nodded at this answer and they both resumed eating.

Sasuke put his chopsticks down having finished. He noticed that Hinata's tea cup was empty so he refilled it. He then started sipping from his cup. Sasuke put down his cup and asked "Would you like me to teach you some of the basic first aid jutsu today?"

Hinata stopped eating and stared at Sasuke. She placed her bowl down not knowing what to say. As she stared at Sasuke in disbelief he reached his hand out to her. Hinata's eyes followed his hand as it approached her face. Sasuke barely touched her and it was very brief but it felt like lightning. When he took his hand away he had a grain of rice between his fingers. He popped it in his month and drink the last of his tea. Hinata could feel the blush across her face but she concentrated on the tea kettle and filled Sasuke's tea cup. Hinata then picked up her bowl and started eating trying to hide the blush that didn't want to go away.

* * *

Later that day Naruto was eating ramen and Iruka walked in. Iruka sat down and said "I hear your old team is together again." Naruto grunted in response. Iruka continued "I doesn't sound like you are too happy about that."

Naruto put his bowl down and said "Things were fine until Sasuke came back."

Iruka looked at Naruto and said "I thought you wanted Sasuke to come back."

Naruto looked annoyed but replied "I did. I just didn't think he really would. I thought I was going to have to drag him back."

Iruka asked "Does it have anything to do with Sakura?"

"He always makes her cry. And she still likes him. Even though he is so mean to her." Naruto said exasperated.

Iruka thought for a second "How do you think Hinata feels. I hear that Sakura told you how she feels about you."

Naruto looked at Iruka and said "You hear a lot of things. I've never been mean to Hinata."

Iruka sighed then said "I didn't say you were being mean to her. I asked how you think she feels."

Naruto looked down at his ramen before saying "I don't know."

Iruka tilted his head up some and asked "How do you feel about her?"

Naruto continued to stare at his ramen "I don't dislike her. But I don't like her and she is...well...she's weird. Besides, I like Sakura."

Iruka sighed then said "I hate to say this but have you thought that maybe Sakura feels about you the same way you feel about Hinata."

Naruto turned to stare at Iruka almost heartbroken.

Iruka put his hands in front of him and said "I said maybe."

Naruto turned his attention back to his food and resumed eating.

* * *

Ino and Chouji were walking along and saw Temari walking down the street carrying her fan. Ino decided to follow her and Chouji decided to follow Ino. They watched from behind a wall as Temari climbed the stairs to the parapets. When she got to the top Ino and Chouji saw Shikamaru greet Temari. They saw Temari and Shikamaru embrace each other. The two broke slightly and kissed one another. Ino's temper was starting to show as she watched. Shikamaru and Temari broke there kiss and they talked for a bit.

Chouji took this moment to say to Ino "I thought you didn't like Shikamaru anymore."

Ino turned to Chouji and said very loudly "We broke up because he said I was troublesome."

Chouji looked away and said "But that is how Shikamaru is."

Ino grabbed Chouji by the collar and pulled him face to face with her and she nearly yelled "But he isn't suppose to say that to the girl he his dating."

Chouji looked down and whispered "When are you going to get over him?"

Ino let go of Chouji and turned to watch Shikamaru and Temari. She watched Shikamaru and Temari kiss once more before Temari pulled out her fan and ran for the side.

* * *

Shikamaru watched Temari jump onto her fan and ride out over the forest. Shikamaru thought to himself that flying was defiantly a good way to travel. He watched her fly along until he could no longer see her. Which meant he was watching for a long time and that she flew for along way before meeting the trees. Ino and Chouji ran up to Shikamaru. Ino said loudly "How can you stand to be with her. She's a ninja from the country of sand."

Shikamaru didn't look at Ino when he responded "The sand is our ally. And we get along quite well. Better than I did with another person."

Ino looked pissed and yelled "You bastard! I can't believe I slept with you."

Chouji looked at Ino surprised. He and Ino had been dating for almost a year and she had only let him kiss her a few times.

Shikamaru said "Why are you angry. You are the one that broke up with me. And then you started dating my best friend. I should be mad at you but I'm not. I'm don't have any hard feelings towards either of you. I'm actually quite happy."

Ino was furious. She turned around and stormed off. Chouji didn't follow he stayed with Shikamaru. Shikamaru looked at Chouji curious as to why Chouji had stayed instead of following Ino. Chouji back fisted Shikamaru, tossing him backwards and causing him to hit his head on the railing of the parapets. Shikamaru looked up from the ground shocked that Chouji had hit him.

* * *

Sakura woke up to her mother yelling. Sakura got out of bed and dressed herself. When she walked downstairs to greet her mother and left without eating. After the previous day she didn't want to talk to her mother. She walked the streets some and came across Ino. Sakura ran after her thinking it would be nice to have a friend to talk to. She didn't know that Ino would need a friend to talk to also.

* * *

Author's Notes

I thought I would give a little note about how I view the ninja levels.

Academy Student - learning to become a ninja

Genin - Basic ninja. Does not mean they can't be strong.

Chuunin - an above average Genin skill wise and tactically smarter. I believe a Genin can actually be stronger than a Chuunin though.

Jounin - a very skilled fighter, quite a bit higher in skill than a Chuunin. Above average Chuunin tactically.

ANBU - consists of Chuunins and Jounins. Just a Special Forces unit.

I think a Genin "could" be as skilled at fighting as a Jounin but wouldn't have the tactics needed to be even a Chuunin. I still think a Jounin would win in that case because of fighting smarter. This is how I justify Naruto beating the Chuunin in the first Episode of the anime.


	9. Chapter Nine

A Possible Future by Jason Corley

Chapter Nine

Shikamaru stood up rubbing his jaw. Chouji said "I knew you were the reason Ino and I don't get along as good as we could."

Shikamaru said "What are you talking about. I haven't interfered with you and Ino at all. I've had more contact with Ino in last week than I've had with her in the last 2 months."

Chouji said loudly "She still likes you. And I've known that for a long time now. I just didn't know why Ino couldn't get over you. I just learned why." Shikamaru put his hands in his pockets and waited for Chouji to continue "Why didn't you ever tell me what happened between the two of you?"

Shikamaru rolled his head in a big circle then answered "First, she told me not to tell anyone. Second, you didn't need to know. Third, Ino should have told you or told you eventually. Fourth, we didn't actually sleep together. We just played around with each other, Ino was still a virgin when we broke up." Shikamaru looked away when he said this last part. Chouji stared at his friend considering what he had been told.

* * *

Sasuke got up from the table and picked up the dishes. He started to walk out of the room but stopped at the door "Would you like more tea?" Hinata shook her head and Sasuke continued walking. When he returned he asked "Would you walk with me." Hinata didn't know if this was a question or a command so she nodded and got up to follow Sasuke. Once outside Sasuke and Hinata walked side by side down the main street of the Uchiha manor. Sasuke walked slowly so Hinata could easily keep up in the kimono. It looked like the two of them were out for an afternoon stroll. After walking for a bit Sasuke asked "Do you like it here?"

Hinata looked up to Sasuke's face and asked "Here?"

Sasuke clarified "The Uchiha manor. You always came around here. And it appears you still do."

Hinata looked down and said "It was a place to get away."

Sasuke asked "Away from what?"

Hinata continued to look down and answered "Everything. Everyone. My family."

They walked in silence for a while when they neared the entranceway to the Uchiha manor Sasuke said "You may stay here if you like." Hinata looked up to Sasuke with hope in her eyes. He then continued "And you may choose any house you wish to live in." Hinata couldn't tear her gaze away from Sasuke's face. This was nicer than anyone had ever been to her in her life. Sasuke stopped and looked down at Hinata.

Hinata said "I...would like to stay. Can we stay in the house we're in now?" Sasuke looked a little surprised at what Hinata had said then when Hinata realized what she said she blushed and said "I...I...mean, can I stay in the house we're in now. But if you don't want me living in the same house I can choose a different one."

Sasuke smiled then said "You can stay there." Hinata smiled back. Sasuke asked "Which way do you want to walk?" Hinata looked in the direction of the market. Even though it was busy she enjoyed walking around there. She enjoyed watching the flow of people doing different things. Sasuke and Hinata both started walking in the direction of the market.

After walking a little more Sasuke asked "Would you prefer me to be in a different house?"

Hinata looked up at him slightly confused and said "It's your house. I can't tell you that you can't be there. And if I didn't want you in the same house I would have chosen a different house. I mean...I..." Hinata wasn't able to cover up what she had said and was blushing a rather bright red.

Sasuke thought for a moment then said "It's a nice house. If you don't mind I think I would like to stay there also." Hinata didn't respond and the blush was still there but a smile had crept on her face.

* * *

Sakura and Ino were sitting in a cafe eating. Ino was eating quite a bit since she was upset. Sasuke was still irritated with Naruto but not enough to break her diet. Ino had told Sakura everything. Sakura was rather surprised that her friend and Shikamaru had been intimate. Sakura started doing the math in her head and figured that Ino and Shikamaru couldn't have been more than 14. Sakura thought that was a bit young. She felt that she was still too young. When Naruto had grabbed her breast she thought things might get out of hand. Sakura could only agree with Ino when Ino would call Shikamaru a bastard. Sakura thought it might be good that Shikamaru had moved on so that Ino could as well. Sakura had always known that Ino still like Shikamaru but didn't want to push the issue since Ino always denied it. Both Sakura and Ino took a bite at the same time and they both spotted Sasuke and Hinata walking together. They stopped chewing as they took in the scene. Sasuke was wearing a blue shirt with white shorts while Hinata wore a blue kimono that matched Sasuke's shirt. Both Sakura and Ino swallowed there food.

Ino asked Sakura "When did Sasuke get back?"

Sakura responded "I found out yesterday."

Ino then asked "Are Sasuke and Hinata a couple or something?"

Sakura said hesitantly "I don't think so."

Both Sakura and Ino took another bite. When Sasuke and Hinata passed by so that their back's could be seen by Ino and Sakura, Ino and Sakura spit out their food on each other. They had both been shocked when they saw that not only did Sasuke have the Uchiha clan symbol on his back but so did Hinata. Ino and Sakura looked back and forth from Sasuke and Hinata to each other.

* * *

Sasuke asked Hinata "How long is it until the Chuunin exam."

"Three weeks." Hinata answered.

Sasuke thought a moment then asked a question he already knew the answer to "Do you have anyone to train with regularly?"

Hinata looked down and said quietly "No. Shino is a Chuunin and doesn't have time, Kiba and Kurenai are both on missions, and my family won't."

Sasuke responded by saying "If you'd like, I will train with you."

Hinata looked up at Sasuke not believe what she was hearing. She then argued "But I'm not as strong as you. It wont help you train for the Chuunin exam."

Sasuke grinned then said "I've been training for the last two and half years. I'm ready. Besides, you have potential. I think you will learn a lot." Hinata smiled and they walked on.

* * *

Naruto and Iruka walked out of the ramen shop. Naruto still had a thoughtful expression. Iruka and Naruto parted ways. Naruto was walking home with his hands behind his head. As he approached a corner he saw Sasuke. Naruto saw someone standing next to him. Naruto thought for a moment then realized it was Hinata. Naruto's jaw dropped at seeing Hinata in something other than her normal everyday clothing. Sasuke saw Naruto and stopped. Hinata Saw Naruto also. She looked from Naruto to Sasuke then back to Naruto. Naruto walked up to them and said "Hey. Hinata. Is he bothering you?" Hinata shook her head. Naruto looked to Sasuke and asked "What are you up to. You already have Sakura after you. You don't need anymore after you."

Sasuke asked "Jealous?"

"No." Naruto quickly answered.

Sasuke glanced at Hinata then looked back to Naruto "That's too bad. If you must know, Hinata and I are just out for a walk. We are taking a little break from training."

Naruto responded "Getting lazy are you. Not only taking a break from training but after training with her. Wait. I didn't mean to say that." Naruto's eyes got as big as saucers "I'm sorry Hinata. I didn't mean to say it that way." Hinata looked down. The smile that had been on her face was gone. She no longer felt like training after what Naruto said. Hinata just started walking again. Naruto was still trying to apologize to Hinata but she wasn't hearing any of it. She just kept walking. Naruto then saw the Uchiha clan symbol on the back of the kimono she was wearing and his jaw dropped once more. He pointed at Hinata and turned his head to look at Sasuke. Naruto's eyes were still as big as saucers but now he had a petrified questioning look. Sasuke walked by Naruto without saying a word but stopped before he got out of earshot.

Sasuke stated "Naruto, don't go after Hinata unless you want her." Sasuke then resumed walking.

Naruto said loudly "What about you, huh? The same applies to you." Sasuke stopped and they were silent for a moment.

Sasuke turned his head and said "Who said I want anyone?" Sasuke then continued walking.

* * *

Shikamaru and Chouji were leaning against the railing of the parapet. Shikamaru was watching the forest while Chouji stared at the ground in thought. Chouji looked at Shikamaru and asked "So, what was she like?" Shikamaru stared out at the forest in silence.

Chouji thought he was going to have to ask again when Shikamaru asked "Who?"

Chouji responded "Ino."

Shikamaru said "You will see soon enough."

"Huh?" Chouji asked in confusion not following Shikamaru's logic.

Shikamaru could tell that Chouji didn't understand so he explained "When Sasuke left Sakura told Ino that she was seeing Naruto. So Ino decided she wasn't going to be the only one not dating someone. So she decided she and I would start dating. I liked Ino so I didn't mind. Ino always wanted to show off so she wanted us to hold hands, hug, and kiss in public. So we did. Then she arrived one day fired up because of what one of her friends and her friend's boyfriend were doing. Ino didn't want to be the only one not doing it. So, she wanted us to...mess around. So, we did. Then she came back talking about something weird one of her friends and her friend's boyfriend were doing. I said that this was troublesome. She flipped out and broke up with me. She didn't want to see me after that. Then the two of you started dating. And since I've gotten farther than she has, she is going to feel she has to keep up. Which means she is going to have to have someone to catch up with. And since the two of you are dating that means she will probably have you help her try to keep up."

Chouji blushed after hearing all this and also looked a little troubled.

Shikamaru saw the expression on Chouji's face and said "I wouldn't worry about it too much. She isn't going to do something with anyone she doesn't like. And she wouldn't date someone she didn't like."

This didn't reassure Chouji.

* * *

Sakura and Ino left the cafe after they finished eating. They parted ways, Sakura headed off to train with Tsunade while Ino walked off to wander the village. When Sakura arrived at the main office she saw Neji, Lee, and Tenten coming out.

Tenten said "The first thing I am going to do when I get home is take a shower. How about you guys. What are you going to do."

Lee answered "I'm going to get in some training."

Tenten looked at him with an expression of 'you have got to be kidding.' Neji didn't respond he just walked off. Tenten decided she didn't care enough to press the issue since she wanted to get home. She called out as she ran "See ya."

Sakura watched the three head off in different directions before she walked inside. She navigated the halls and stairs up to Tsunade's office. When Sakura walked in she saw that there were three tables instead of the usual one. Sakura wondered if Tsunade had taken on more students. When Sakura just stood there Tsunade told her to stand off to the side and close her eyes. After a brief moment Tsunade told Sakura to turn around. On one table was a gutted fish. On another was a boar in a condition Sakura couldn't tell just from looking at it. On the third table was a bleeding rabbit. Tsunade told Sakura to save them. Sakura ran to the bleeding rabbit and started working. Tsunade walked over to her desk and started working. She would glace out of the corner of her eye at Sakura every so often.

* * *

Hinata had walked with Sasuke by her side to the park. She stood overlooking the fields. A tear fell from Hinata's eye. Followed by another and another until she couldn't hold back and she broke down crying. She sobbed into her hands. Sasuke stood there for a moment before he tentatively put his hand on her shoulder with his arm against her back. She turned towards Sasuke and buried her face into his shirt. Sasuke circled his arms around Hinata. She then wrapped her arms around Sasuke's waist. Sasuke pulled Hinata a little closer. Hinata then hugged Sasuke tighter. Sasuke embraced Hinata more securely and once she really felt he was there for her, she let go completely. Everything that she had bottle up was pouring out of her. Sasuke rubbed Hinata's back as the sobs wracked her body. Eventually the sobs died down and she turned her head to rest it against Sasuke's chest. She pressed closer to Sasuke and even thought tears still continued to run down her face she was feeling better.

At some point she and Sasuke had started walking again. She now had her arms wrapped around his right arm as they walked though. And every so often she would rest her head against his shoulder.

* * *

Neji was walking home from the main office when he saw Sasuke come into view. Neji had read the update that Sasuke was back so he wasn't that surprised to see Sasuke but when he saw Hinata with him. And not only with Sasuke but wearing a kimono and leaning against him. Neji quickened his pace to catch up with them. Sasuke and Hinata kept walking and vanished out of sight when they passed the corner. When Neji rounded the corner he was shocked to see not just one Uchiha clan symbol but two and one of them was on Hinata's back. Neji moved very quickly to catch them. He easily caught up since Sasuke and Hinata were walking slowly. Neji moved in front of them and glared at them. Sasuke stared back uncaring. Hinata looked nervous. Neji said "I don't know what your game is Uchiha but don't involve the Hyuuga in it." Neji then grabbed hold of Hinata and pulled her away from Sasuke. "And why are you walking around in a kimono with the Uchiha clan symbol on it?" Hinata looked at Sasuke then to Neji and back to Sasuke.

Sasuke said "I was letting her borrow it since her clothes needed to be washed from training earlier." Neji's anger subsided some. Sasuke continued "I then asked if she wanted to take a walk. Walking is quite relaxing. And it allows for a break from training." Neji looked a little annoyed but his anger was gone.

Neji turned to go back the way he had come from and said "Let's go." He meet with resistance. He turned around to see that Hinata wasn't following. Neji glared at Hinata and said "Hinata, let's go." Hinata looked up to meet Neji's gaze and shook her head. Neji's grasp loosened and Hinata stepped back from him. Hinata stepped next to Sasuke. Neji looked to Sasuke who's expression didn't tell him anything. Neji looked back to Hinata and said "Your father isn't going to like this." Hinata looked down then looked back up to look Neji in the eyes. Hinata then grabbed hold of Sasuke's arm the way she had been holding it. Sasuke and Hinata both resumed walking. Neji stood there speechless for a minute before turning around to head home.

As they walked Hinata strengthen her hold on Sasuke's arm. Sasuke glanced down at Hinata and said "You seem troubled."

Hinata nodded and said "Father will be angry about this."

Sasuke respond "This is your choice. You don't have to stay at the Uchiha manor if you don't want to."

Hinata shook her head "I do want to. But if I start living there I probably won't be able to go back."

Sasuke was silent for a moment then said "You will always have a home with the Uchiha if that's the case."

Hinata looked up at Sasuke who was staring out at the street before them. Hinata rested her head against Sasuke's arm.

When they returned back to the house they were staying in Hinata went to the room she had been sleeping in. There she found her clothes neatly folded on the bed. At closer inspection she found they were clean. She slid the door to the room closed. She untied the kimono and slipped it off. She stood there naked as she folded the kimono. She placed the kimono on the bed next to her clothes and then started putting on her clothes. As she dressed herself she remembered that she had not taken them off and that she had not put on the kimono. She had a vague memory of Sasuke doing all that for her. She blushed at the thought of having been naked in front of Sasuke. What would people think. She had walked around all day in a kimono that had the Uchiha clan symbol on the back with Sasuke. And now she was not only going to be living in the Uchiha manor but the same house as Sasuke. She started to question her actions. She walked out into the living room where Sasuke was seated reading a scroll. She blushed and walked to the door. She said as she put on her footwear "I'm going to the Hyuuga manor to get my stuff. I'll be home in a couple hours." As she walked out the door she heard Sasuke say "Have a safe trip." Once Hinata was out the door she wondered if she had just called this place home. He pondered the question as she walked to the Hyuuga manor.

* * *

Naruto was at the academy training grounds practicing punches and kicks against the posts. His mind was occupied with the words he and Sasuke exchanged. Naruto was trying to figure out if he hadn't given Hinata enough thought. He always knew he wanted Sakura and the thought of someone else never entered his mind. But now Sasuke was back. And Sakura defiantly seemed to want Sasuke more than himself. And if Hinata had a crush on him then things might not be so bad if Sakura was with Sasuke. Naruto tried to imagine himself with Hinata. But he could only see this petite girl with strange eyes and a weird personality. She was quiet like Sasuke. Naruto messed up his punch and missed the target completely. He fell over and was laying on his back looking up at the darkening skies. Sasuke and Hinata are both quiet. They fit together. But Sakura says Hinata has a crush on me. Sasuke doesn't seem to like Sakura. Sakura likes Sasuke. I want Sakura to be happy. So...if I Sasuke likes Hinata and I steal her away from him. Hinata will be happy because she will be with her crush. Sasuke will be jealous of me. Sakura will be happy because she would be with her crush and I will be happy because Sakura's happy. Yeah. Wait. But would I be happy with Hinata and could Sasuke really make Sakura happy? Naruto continued to think of the possibilities until he fell asleep.

* * *

Chouji was standing outside a pharmacist store. He took a deep breath then walked inside. He started walking down the aisles looking for the targeted item. He wasn't finding it so he looked at the signs for the aisles. One that stuck out to him was 'Family planning.' He walked down that aisle and found what he was looking for. There were too many choices he didn't know what he needed. He felt stupid standing there so long looking at the packages. He saw this young man enter the store and approach the section of the store he was in. Chouji didn't want to be seen standing there but he knew he needed one. The young man walked down the aisle Chouji was on. Chouji could feel himself turning red from embarrassment. The young man reached out and grabbed one then said as he was leaving "This is the one I want. Your all purpose condom." Chouji watched as the young man walked up to the counter and purchased the condoms without so much as a glance from the sales person. Chouji decided to do the same thing. He grabbed the same one and walked to the salesperson paid for the condom and walked out. No words were exchanged he never made eye contact with anyone. It was rather simple actually. Chouji sighed in relief and said "At least I am prepared now."

* * *

Author's Notes

I was told I should be more descriptive. I only sometimes like to read very descriptive scenes. If every scene is like that I get tired of reading the story. So since I get tired of reading it I have a hard time getting myself to write that way. So I try to keep a nice median with description. Not long but long enough. I did like the example I was giving for how I could change it but I'm just not going to write like that right now. I might start doing it sometime in this writing or in the future but I'm just going to write how I feel at the moment. I did appreciate the suggestion though. It was good, I'm just feeling kind of lazy. Perhaps after I finish the whole story I might go back and flush out the description. We will see.


	10. Chapter Ten

A Possible Future by Jason Corley

Author's Notes

I was asked to explain why Hinata was upset after what Naruto said to Sasuke.

Sasuke asked "Jealous?"

"No." Naruto quickly answered.

Sasuke glanced at Hinata then looked back to Naruto "That's too bad. If you must know, Hinata and I are just out for a walk. We are taking a little break from training."

Naruto responded "Getting lazy are you. Not only taking a break from training but after training with her. Wait. I didn't mean to say that." Naruto's eyes got as big as saucers "I'm sorry Hinata. I didn't mean to say it that way." Hinata looked down. The smile that had been on her face was gone.

First, Naruto's response implies that he is not jealous that Hinata is with Sasuke. So Hinata may assume Naruto doesn't like her. Second, when Naruto says Sasuke is getting lazy and taking a break after training with Hinata, implies that Hinata isn't good enough to require taking a break afterwards. After reading over that section I can understand the confusion. I didn't make it clear. Hope this clarifies things.

* * *

Chapter Ten

Hinata walked through the gate and into the Hyuuga manor. She walked up to the main house and inside. She went unnoticed as always. She walked down the hall to her room. She slide the door open and looked around. She was trying to decide if she really wanted to leave this room for one at the Uchiha manor. Hinata decided she would decide after she packed. She walked over to her wardrobe and pulled out a duffle bag out of the bottom drawer. She took out all her clothes that she wore for training. Which weren't that many because she only kept a few. She had been use to getting new ones when she out grew the old ones so she only had a few sets. She didn't even have a kimono to call her own. They were all family kimonos. She decided to leave those. And the few other clothes that were in the wardrobe she was going to let her little sister have anyway even though she had never seen her sister in one of her old pairs of clothing. Hinata opened the draw with her undergarments and only put the ones that fit into he duffle bag. Hinata didn't have possessions that she was attached too. She looked around the room and realized that there was nothing she wanted to keep. She decided it definitely didn't feel like home here. She slug the duffle bag onto her back and crept down the hall. Hinata opened the door to leave and she heard her fathers voice behind her "You have brought shame to our family." Hinata didn't respond. Hiashi continued "If you stay we may be able to repair the damage to our reputation you have caused."

Hinata thought for a minute then asked "Will I be able to see Sasuke?"

Hiashi replied "No. I've already told you not to hang around him."

Hinata thought for a moment then took one step forward but stopped when her father said "If you leave, you can't come back." Hinata's hand was still on the door and she was visibly shaking. She was afraid. For her this was a life changing decision. If she stayed she would have to give up Sasuke again and life would return to the way it was. But if she left she would never be allowed to return and things would never be the same again.

* * *

The next morning Naruto woke up on the training grounds of the academy. He yawned and stretched before getting up. Naruto looked up at the sun and could tell by its position that he was extremely late. Naruto knew he had to show up even if he was late, so he walked to where he and the perverted hermit always trained. When he got there Jiraiya was no where to be found. Naruto decided to wait for a bit to see if he would return.

* * *

Temari arrived back at the country of the sand. She still had the rest of the day off but she would be back on guard duty the next morning. Even though she grew up in the desert she still hated it. She didn't dare admit it to any of her countrymen that she preferred the forests of the country of fire. She hoped that Shikamaru could convince someone to come out here so she could return to the hidden village of the leaf. And if no one else came she hoped that Shikamaru would. A smile formed at the thought as she walked into the building where she and her siblings lived. She walked by Gaara's room and saw Gaara sleeping. The sand was circling him. Even though she had seen this often it still bothered her. She knew what the sand was capable of. She walked past Kankuro's room without knocking on the door. He was often in his room working on his puppets. She often wondered why her brothers didn't enter the Chuunin exam after she made Chuunin. Gaara himself didn't care. He only entered that second time because she wouldn't stop talking about it. Temari often wondered if Kankuro felt humiliated after fighting Lee in the second Chuunin exam. If Kankuro had kept his cool he would have made Chuunin even though he lost. Lee fought off all the puppets but each one Lee was surprised to find that it was a puppet instead of Kankuro himself. Kankuro's patience had worn thin and he started sending more and more puppets at Lee to stop him. Lee continued to fight them off relatively easy. The puppets were no match for his speed and strength. Lee was decimating them but they just kept coming and new ones would start to form from the pieces. Lee stood back and watched the puppets for a bit. He saw they all wanted to be turned somewhat, so he looked at them to determine where there backs all faced. When he was confidant he knew where the puppet master was he ran at full speed to the spot, where he found Kankuro. Lee kicked when he got to him. Kankuro flew into a tree and fell. Lee saw pieces start flaking off and he knew it was another puppet. Lee had been sure that was the real Kankuro. Lee turned around to scan the area. Then he felt an arm come around his neck and an arm press against the side of his head. Lee knew he would die if he didn't act quickly. Lee put one arm up to the other side of his head to keep his neck from being broken. He also hoped this was the real Kankuro. Lee reached down and right behind him. He thrust his arm back and grabbed tightly. Lee felt the arms around his head loosen slightly and he knew he had the real Kankuro by the balls. Lee squeezed hard. And with Lee's super strength meant it was very hard, which caused Kankuro to squeak in pain and let go. Lee let go and jumped away. He watched as Kankuro fell over. Kankuro was on the ground with drool coming out his mouth and looked like he wanted someone to kill him. The examiner declared Lee the winner. A couple of medic-nins made there way between the trees too help Kankuro. Lee looked around and saw that the puppet he hit last was gone. Lee realized that Kankuro had made himself act like a puppet getting hit. Even though Lee made Chuunin that time he didn't feel that he deserved it. Temari thought about the incident some more and thought maybe Kankuro had been injured worse than she thought. Perhaps Kankuro lost his drive to compete. Kankuro still seemed as hot headed as usual but he did seem to lock himself away and work on his puppets more than he use to. Temari shrugged and pulled down one of her books off her bookshelf to read.

* * *

Sakura was still up from the previous night. She knew that Tsunade would reprimand her if she gave up trying to save the animals. She had saved the rabbit easily. She had decided that she could save the fish quicker having had so much experience with keeping fish alive. After she finished healing the fish she moved on to the boar and saw that its condition had gotten worse. She from the previous night to that morning she was continuing to work on the boar. She had never worked on a boar before and wasn't sure if she was healing it right plus the number of wounds it had was extensive. Sakura didn't know if she could stay awake long enough to heal it but she had to try as long as she could.

* * *

Neji was training with Hiashi. They had both worked up a pretty good sweat and decided to take break. They walked over to sit on the porch. Hanabi was sitting there and looked up at her father. Hiashi looked down at her and said "It's all up to you now."

Hanabi looked a little confused and said "But haven't you always said it was up to me."

Hiashi smiled at her and said "Yes. Yes I have. I don't know what I was thinking."

Neji looked at Hiashi with a neutral expression. Neji had learned to always keep a neutral expression around him and Hanabi. Neji no longer hated the branch family like he once did but he still disliked Hiashi. Neji was nice to Hanabi and trained her in his spare time. He felt it was his duty to help the next head family member become as strong as she could. She was the only one left to carry on the head family after all. Neji thought back to what happened the night before.

* * *

Hinata stood in the doorway thinking. She thought about her choices. To stay and struggle to improve, where she would never be good enough. Or to go and be welcome weather or not she improved. She lifted her head up and stepped outside. Hiashi said "I see you've made your choice." Hinata turned slightly to close the door. Hiashi continued "There is just one more thing." Hinata stopped from closing the door and looked up to look her father in the eyes. Hinata saw a flash of movement but before she could do anything someone had grabbed her from behind. Hinata struggled to get free. She turned her head to see who it was. It was Neji.

Hinata looked at him and said "Let go." Neji looked to Hiashi for instructions.

Hiashi looked Neji in the eyes and said "If you use your Byakugan to watch this I will use it on you next." Neji nodded and watched as Hiashi activated his Byakugan. Hiashi then quickly and expertly hit a series of tenketsu on Hinata's body. He finished by hitting the tenketsu on the sides of Hinata's head. Hinata stared her father in the eyes as a burning sensation started to rise in her body. Hinata's breathing increased. Hiashi stepped back and said to Neji "You may let go. It is done." Neji let go of Hinata and she fell to the ground. Hinata started to pour out sweat. Hinata looked up to her father and saw a look of disgust. Hinata looked to Neji and saw something of concern.

Neji looked to Hiashi and asked "What did you do to her?"

Hiashi answered "I sealed the Hyuuga bloodline limit. She will never be able to use her Byakugan again and if she has children they will not carry the ability to use the Byakugan. She is no longer of our family."

Neji looked back down at Hinata who looked like she could barely breath. Hinata looked back up to see a look of fear in Neji's eyes. Hinata didn't care, her whole body felt like it was on fire. But she had learned long ago not to cry out in pain. She still had her duffle bag on her back which reminded her she was leaving. She was hurting and she knew she wasn't going to get help here. Hinata thought that if she could get to Sasuke that maybe he could help her. She stood up and stumbled away from Hiashi and Neji. Neji started to go after her but Hiashi stopped him by saying "Let her go. It doesn't matter what happens to her now." Hiashi closed the door leaving Neji to stare at his cousin who had just been disowned. He wondered what would become of her. After all, what could she amount to if she didn't have her Byakugan.

* * *

Hinata staggered down the streets of Konoha. No one was out on the streets at this time. There was no one to help her. She just kept moving. She could feel the weight of her duffle bag weighing her down. She pulled the strap over her head and dropped the bag. This made her feel she would be able to make it to the Uchiha manor now. She got to the entranceway to the Uchiha manor and propped up against it. She stood there trying to catch her breath. She felt like she had been running for hours. She thought she was going to pass out but she was so close now. She stumbled down the main street of the Uchiha manor. When she got to the house that she and Sasuke were staying at she opened the door and collapsed upon entering. Sasuke was up and at her side in time to keep her from hitting the floor. He rolled her over and leaned her up in sitting position on the floor. She lifted her head to look Sasuke in the face. Her eyes frantically searched his features. Sasuke asked her "What happened?"

Hinata reached out her hand and grabbed Sasuke's shirt then said with a fearful quiver in her voice "Sasuke. I...I...I can't see."

Sasuke remained calm and repeated his question "What happened? Tell me what happened."

Hinata steadied her voice some, though it still had a fearful tone when she said "Father sealed my Byakugan."

Sasuke asked "How?"

Hinata sounded like she was about to start crying "I don't know."

Sasuke said "Tell me what he did. What do you remember him doing?"

Hinata swallowed hard than said "He...hit some of my tenketsu in my chest and stomach. He also hit the ones for my eyes. I...I can't see." Sasuke picked her up and ran into the bedroom with her to lay her on the bed. Hinata chocked out "I...can't...breath." Sasuke unzipped Hinata's jacket and put his ear against her chest. He could hear her heart beating a lot faster than it should and it sounded like it was speeding up. Hinata then said in a voice that sounded like she was crying "Sasuke...I...can't...even....cry."

Sasuke didn't respond to what Hinata was saying "Hang in there."

Hinata responded with a quiver to her voice "Sasuke..." but Hinata's voice cut off.

Sasuke pulled a kunai out of his leg holster and cut the front of Hinata's shirt open. He saw the bruises where she had been hit. He continued to cut her shirt searching for all the bruise markings. He saw one just under the waist line of her pants. He pulled at it and saw part of another. In an effort to reduce the time looking he pulled off her pants. Seeing none below he hip line he turned Hinata over to check her back. He didn't see any markings on her back or on her arms. He only saw the ones on the front of her torso and on the side of her head next to her eyes. He activated his Sharingan and looked at her body. He ran his hands along her chest in an effort to figure out how the attack was done. He determined it was just one finger for each attack. From the side he wasn't able to get the angles he needed to figure out the pattern. He straddled her hips to get to where he could get the angle needed to figure out the attack. Sasuke ran his two forefingers along Hinata's body causing Hinata to shiver at the feeling it was causing in her. If Sasuke wasn't trying to save Hinata's life he would have smiled at the way she reacted to him but as it was he wasn't even really aware that to him that he was running his fingers around her breast from one bruise to the next. Sasuke was finally confidant he knew the angles for each and every attack. With the third mark on is Sharingan he was able to recreate an attack from looking at the resulting damage. From what Sasuke had read in the scrolls he stole from Orochimaru a tenketsu was like a switch. If you push it one way to turn it off you push it from the opposite way to turn it on. He was also assuming that you had to do the procedure in reverse. Sasuke burned a physical image of Hinata's body in his mind as he turned her over. Sasuke took care for his first strike which was to be to both sides of Hinata's head at the same time. He drew his arms back and struck. He didn't notice a change but felt he was doing the right thing. He looked at Hinata's back and prepared himself. He pulled up the image of her chest in his mind and thought about the sequence for the attacks on her chest. He then reversed it for her back. Having the reversed pattern in his mind he drew back his arms ready to put his plan into action. He released a series of finger tip precision attacks on to Hinata's back. When his last attack stuck Hinata started coughing. Sasuke got off her and rolled her over. She rolled her head to the side and continued to cough. He watched her with concern for a bit. He leaned forward and put his head to her chest to listen to her heart. It was no longer racing like it had been. It was faster than it should for someone lying down but it was still slowing down. He leaned back and felt she was safe for the time being. He pulled the cover of the bed over Hinata. She turned her head to the other side and cough some more. Since Sasuke had done everything he could think of he stood there looking at Hinata with a worried expression. Hinata finally opened her eyes. She blinked a couple times then focused her eyes on Sasuke's face. Hinata spoke between coughs "Sasuke..I can..see again." Sasuke was slightly relieved but was still worried. Hinata had not stopped coughing.

When Hinata sat up Sasuke asked "How do you feel?"

Hinata took this as concern and said "I'll be fine." followed by a fit of coughs.

Sasuke said sternly "Tell me how you feel."

Hinata lowered her eyes and said "I can see..I feel..tired..like I..am catching..my breath..from a..long run." Hinata started coughing again. She then continued "I'm..fine."

Sasuke wasn't going to let it go at that. He pulled the cover off Hinata and tossed her, her pants and Jacket. He then told her get dressed. He turned away while she got dressed. After Sasuke heard the shuffling of fabric and the long zip he turned around. Hinata started coughing again.

Sasuke said "I'm taking you to the doctor."

Hinata shook her head and said "I'm fine."

Sasuke didn't believe her and didn't feel like putting up with resistance so he walked over and swept her off her feet. She clung to him and tilted her head down when she coughed. Sasuke walked out of the room and out the still open door. Sasuke proceeded to jump along carrying her the way he had after their first training session.

When they arrived at the hospital the receptionist called for assistance. Sasuke set Hinata down on her feet. Two nurses came lead Hinata away. Sasuke was forced to sit in the lobby filling out paperwork. He had decided he was going to pay for the medical expenses. Sasuke deactivated his Sharingan having forgotten about it. Leaving his Sharingan active for so long and performing such a precise series of attacks under such stress had worn him out. While waiting Sasuke fell asleep. After a couple hours Sasuke woke up to his name being called. He looked up to see Shizune standing there with a smile on her face.

Shizune said when she saw that Sasuke was awake "That was pretty good work. Hinata told me what happened to her. And how she felt after what you did. She couldn't tell me what you did but it seems to have worked. I read a medical report on what happens to a member that leaves the Hyuuga without permission. They usually die painfully. Other than a few residual injuries you seemed to have stopped the effects if not reversed them. Bringing Hinata in was also good thinking. We were able to heal the residual injuries. I don't know how you stopped the effects but it seemed to have worked. She's the first reported to live from this."

Sasuke turned his head to look at Hinata who had a blush on her face. He turned his head back to look at Shizune when she resumed talking "I think you would make an excellent medic-nin. Who did you learn from?"

Sasuke turned his head away when he said "Kabuto."

Shizune's eyes narrowed at the name and then noticed the line through Sasuke's forehead protector. This reminded her that Sasuke had run away to join Orochimaru. She decided that since he saved Hinata's life that she could forgive him for leaving but Shizune wasn't going to trust him yet.

Sasuke stood up and said "Are we done here?"

Shizune said "Hinata's wounds have been healed she's free to go."

Sasuke nodded and walked towards the door. Hinata looked around the room to see if anyone would have heard what Shizune had said to Sasuke. When she didn't see anyone nearby Hinata said to Shizune "Please don't tell anyone about what happened."

Shizune looked down to Hinata and said "I have to tell the fifth. Other than her I won't tell anyone."

Hinata bowed to Shizune and followed after Sasuke. Hinata ran up to walk next to Sasuke. After walking for a ways Hinata's feet started to hurt from walking barefoot on the ground. She looked at Sasuke's feet and saw that he was also walking barefoot. Hinata looked at Sasuke's face but he didn't seem to mind. After walking some more Sasuke could tell there pace had slowed so he glanced over at Hinata and saw that he expression showed discomfort. He asked her "Do you want to take a little rest."

Hinata replied "I'm ok. I can keep walking." Sasuke caught the implication and decided he to sweep Hinata off her feet for he second time that night. Hinata grabbed hold of Sasuke's shirt when he jumped with her in his arms. This was the first time she had been fine when Sasuke carried her like this. Hinata noticed that Sasuke was jumping higher and further than she could. She enjoyed the sensation. Hinata didn't feel the jarring impact that she would feel if she was jumping like this. Each time they touched down Hinata felt slight shift of her weight before launched skyward again. She wondered if this felt like flying. Hinata leaned her head against Sasuke's chest and enjoyed he ride home. Home, a place Hinata now found at the Uchiha manor. Home was no longer the Hyuuga manor. In fact she decided she would never return there even if she was welcome in the future. She had chosen to leave and her father tried to kill her for it. When she arrived at Sasuke's he immediately helped her and he said she would always have a home at with the Uchiha. She felt like something was finally going right in her life. As they traveled along the fluid motion of the horizon, the gentle movement, and the peace she had when with Sasuke put her to sleep.


	11. Chapter Eleven

A Possible Future by Jason Corley

Chapter Eleven

Hinata opened her eyes after a restful sleep. She sat up and the covers slid down to her waist. Hinata looked around the room and noted she was in the house she and Sasuke were staying in at the Uchiha manor. She was home in her room. She smiled at the thought. She swung her legs out of bed and stood up. She noticed that she was wearing her clothes from yesterday and she wanted a clean pair. She looked around the room but couldn't find her duffle bag that she knew she packed to bring here. Then she remembered that she dumped the bag along the way. She looked a little down at the memory but she told herself that it was just clothes. She could always get more. Hinata walked through the house looking for Sasuke but she didn't find him. All she found was the snake lying in the sun coiled up on the floor. Then snake opened one eye as Hinata was walking away. The snake watched Hinata close the door behind her when she left. The snake closed it's eye just wanting to soak in the sun.

Hinata started retracing her steps in the hope of finding her duffle bag. As she walked the memories of the previous night flooded into her mind. With each step she took she thought she could feel the pain returning. When she got to within sight of the Hyuuga manor she couldn't stand the memories. She had to get away from there. She didn't care about the duffle bag. She turned around and standing in front of her was one of her relatives. She brought her arms up in front of her to protect her torso from what he might do. The man that was of the branch family walked toward her but instead of attacking her walked around her without even giving her a passing glance. Hinata turned to watch the man walk through the gate of the Hyuuga manor. Her breathing started to return to normal and she turned back around to head home. As she walked she could feel the stress from walking towards the Hyuuga manor drifting away. She stopped at a tree where she remembered dropping the duffle bag. She turned around in a circle looking for it. She didn't see it. A shop keeper saw her looking for something and motioned her over. The shop keeper asked her if she was looking for something. Hinata told the shop keeper she was looking for a red duffle bag with clothing in it. The shop keeper told Hinata to wait there and disappeared into the back of his shop. When he returned he was carrying a red duffle bag. Hinata thanked the man for finding it. They bowed to each other and Hinata started walking again. She walked through the entrance way to the Uchiha manor and down the main street. As she walked she looked at all the houses she passed and felt that each time she saw them now they all looked cleaner and more welcoming. She couldn't help but feel the place was feeling more alive than she any time she could remember seeing it. She walked into the house she was staying at and took off her footwear. She walked down the hall to her room. Hinata opened the doors to her wardrobe and found three kimono's hanging up. One was a solid river blue with the Uchiha clan symbol on the back. Another was a pattern of reds, oranges, and yellows. She looked at it in awe because it looked like the embodiment of fire. The third was a white with pink blossoms. She thought it was pretty but thought it wouldn't look good on her. Her eyes were pulled to the blue kimono. She drew her attention from the blue kimono to her duffle bag. She unzipped it and started putting her clothes in the wardrobe. When she was finished putting her clean clothes in the wardrobe she unzipped her jacket but held it closed when she turned around to check the room. The curtains that would cover the window was open but all she saw was a yard with flowers in it. She didn't think anyone would be out there. She looked to the open door to her room but knew Sasuke wasn't in the house. She slipped her jacket off which was the only article of clothing that had been on her torso. She let it fall to the floor wanting to wash it instead of hanging it up. She untied the drawstring of her pants and let them fall around her ankles. She pulled her panties down past her hips and let them fall to around her ankles. She took out a clean pair of undergarments and put them on. She took out a blue shirt which she pulled over her head. She then pulled on a pair of clean pants. She took her one other jacket out of the wardrobe and put it on. Hinata then closed the doors to the wardrobe and picked up her clothes that were on the floor. She walked through the house to find the wash room. She found it and deposited her clothes into a basket. She would clean them later. Hinata then walked back down the hall to where the snake was. She asked the snake if it knew where Sasuke was. The Snake replied "The masster iss around ssomewhere. Sss sss sss." Hinata bowed to the snake and walked back to the door. She put her footwear on and disappeared out the door.

* * *

When the perverted hermit didn't return Naruto left to go eat what was to be his breakfast even though it was lunch time. Naruto walked into the ramen shop he loved and sat down. Naruto turned his head to look the person next to him. It was Jiraiya. Jiraiya looked down and said "Naruto, you're late." Naruto's eye began to twitch. "It seems you don't want to train as much as you did. You're arriving later each day. Perhaps I should stop going out there to train you."

Naruto replied loudly "It's all Sasuke's fault. Everything was fine before he came back."

Jiraiya smirked "I thought the whole point of your training was so you could go and drag him back here."

Naruto continued "Yeah. I was suppose to go and drag his ass back here. But he just showed up and is acting like nothing happened. Now he says he's going to participate in the Chuunin exam. Just like that. He's not even on a team anymore."

Jiraiya replied "Sasuke's on your team."

Naruto's jaw dropped and his eyes grew to the size of saucers. He grabbed his hair with his hands and yelled "What?"

Jiraiya continued ignoring Naruto's outburst "Enjoy yourself for the rest of the day. And be on time tomorrow with your bag packed."

Naruto's posture returned to normal and he asked "Why's that?"

Jiraiya answered "Because tomorrow we are going to start training for two weeks strait. And if you are late, I won't train you anymore till after this Chuunin exam." Before Naruto could answer Jiraiya got up and walked away. Naruto turned his attention to the bowl of ramen that had been placed in front of him and started eating.

* * *

Shikamaru looked out across the forest and knew that all he was going to be doing until the Chuunin exam was pulling guard duty. He had made sure his name was on the list of examiners for the first test.

* * *

Sakura finally stabilized the boar and looked over at Tsunade who was sleeping. Sakura's eye started to twitch. Sometimes Sakura really hated the fifth. She yelled at Tsunade to wake up. Tsunade lifted her head and put her hand to her forehead. She told Sakura to keep it down and asked what time it was. Sakura wasn't going to keep it down she told Tsunade rather loudly that it was past lunch time and that she had been up all night. Tsunade looked over at the animals and dismissed Sakura telling her to take the day off. Sakura stared at Tsunaded for a moment before leaving. She was actually thankful for the day off. She was going to go home and go strait to sleep. When she got there she did exactly that.

* * *

Hinata approached the Uchiha training ground and heard a fast steady thumping noise. She peaked around a tree. From her vantage she watched as Sasuke moved around and between 4 posts unleashing a constant barrage of attacks. She didn't know how long she was standing there but she felt that his pace had not slowed down. She was amazed at the endurance he was showing. It made her think of the few times she had watched Lee practice. She decided remain where she was when she said "Sasuke."

Sasuke stopped between the four posts and looked at Hinata. When Sasuke saw that she was waiting for him to say something he asked "Do you feel up to a light workout." Hinata nodded and walked down to meet him. She stopped a few paces away and Sasuke said "Prepare yourself." Hinata performed the hand seal to activate her Byakugan but it didn't. She tried again but was unable to activate it.

A worried expression came to Hinata's face and she said "I can't use my Byakugan." Sasuke didn't say anything. She continued "Shizune said you reversed the effects."

Sasuke shook his head and said "She said I stopped the effects and may have reversed them. The only effect I think I reversed was your sight. And I think I merely stopped what was being done."

Hinata looked down and said "I over heard Shizune talking with another doctor. I heard that my blood appeared to have been boiling inside me. Something about the blood being super oxygenated and the rate my heart was beating. They said I was lucky to be alive."

Sasuke said "You may have to live without your Byakugan. It may never come back."

Hinata's expression changed from worried to lost. The two of them stood there silent for a bit then Hinata said quietly "I've trained my whole life to use the Byakugan in a fight. How can I fight now."

Sasuke replied "You learn to fight without it. Which means we have a lot of training we need to get in if you are going to make Chuunin this time." Hinata didn't react to this so Sasuke continued "If you think Naruto will see you if you become a better ninja, don't you think he would be impressed if you made Chuunin." Hinata lifted her gaze to look at Sasuke. Sasuke could see it had at least sparked an interest in Hinata so he continued "I know you can do it but it's going to be hard work up until then. Are you up for it?" Hinata nodded. Sasuke wasn't convinced so he said "I don't think you are." Hinata looked like she had just been slapped in the face.

Sasuke stared at her and Hinata quietly said "I'm up for it."

Sasuke held a strait face even though he wanted to grin and said flatly "I can't hear you."

Hinata repeated in a speaking tone "I'm up for it."

Sasuke continued to hold a strait face and said loudly "I still can't hear you."

Hinata repeated loudly "I'm up for it."

Sasuke yelled "What?"

Hinata yelled "I'm up for it!"

Sasuke commanded loudly "Prove it." As he stepped forward and shoved Hinata. Hinata recovered from the push and quickly took a fighting stance. Without realizing it Hinata was pumped up to fight now. She moved in to strike. When Sasuke saw her coming after him he couldn't help but let the grin creep on to his face. Sasuke made sure to keep Hinata fighting at 100. Even though her 100 got slower and weaker as the day wore on it still made her push her limits. Sasuke had decided he wasn't going to do to her what was done to him. Instead when he struck blows that Hinata should have been able to defend against, he would make sure it was what she would consider a light hit. Sasuke could see her drive to keep fighting even though Hinata's form was getting sloppy. He decided to end the fight. He moved in and put Hinata in a hold from behind. Hinata pushed off the ground making Sasuke lean backwards. They both continued to the ground. Sasuke decided not to twist and slam Hinata into the ground instead he let himself hit first and just maintain his hold. Hinata tried kicking her legs but Sasuke wrapped his legs around hers to stop her from kicking. Eventually Hinata stopped fighting and relaxed. When she was just lying there pressed up against him resting, Sasuke released the hold. They stayed like that for a bit before Sasuke said "That's enough for today." Hinata tensed her body trying to sit up but she couldn't so she like herself relax back down on Sasuke.

Hinata said with a hint of mirth "I can't get up." Sasuke sat up forcing Hinata into a sitting position on his lap. He put his hands around her waist and stood up with Hinata. Sasuke let go once they were standing. Hinata looked like she was barely standing on her own. Sasuke started to walk off towards the house but Hinata looked like she was going to stagger back. Sasuke walked up to her and lifted one of her arms over his neck, helping support her with his shoulder. They walked back to the house that way. Hinata knew that Sasuke could have easily picked her up and carried her but instead took the time to walk with her. She felt grateful that he was treating her as a peer instead of as an inferior. She leaned a bit more into Sasuke when they got to the house and Sasuke was opening the door. The snake opened its eye at them when they entered and watched them sit down to take off there footwear. The snake watched as Sasuke helped Hinata to the bathroom. When Sasuke returned the snake hissed "Not going to help her bath thiss time masster? Sss sss sss." Sasuke sat down at the table in living room and opened a scroll to look at. The snake laughed again.

* * *

Naruto had his backpack packed and ready to go for tomorrow. He was not going to be late. He didn't want to miss out on two weeks strait of training. He then thought of Sakura and he would be missing two weeks with her. Naruto left his apartment and headed for the main office where he knew Sakura practiced with Tsunade. When he got there an attendant told him that Tsunade wasn't there. Naruto said he didn't care about Tsunade that he only cared where Sakura was. The attendant told him that Sakura wasn't there. Naruto left wondering where Sakura could be. He walked to her parents house not knowing a better place to look. When he got there he knocked on the door. Sakura's mother answered the door and wasn't pleased to see Naruto there after dark. When Sakura heard a knocking at her door she groaned and told the offender to go away. But the offender was her mother and yelled back at Sakura to get up because she had a guest. Sakura rolled off her bed where she had just walked in and collapsed onto the bed. For once Sakura was getting out of bed with clothes on. She stumbled down the stairs and to the front door to find Naruto waiting for her. He explained to her that he was going to be training with the perverted hermit for two weeks and that he wouldn't be around. Sakura, still mad about the previous night, was not happy to see Naruto in the first place but to be dragged out of bed just to hear this annoyed her. And she told Naruto this in a rather uncaring manner. Sakura concluded her rant by slamming the door closed and returning to bed. Naruto was left standing there starring at the door. Naruto trudged back to his apartment in a depressed mood.

* * *

When Hinata finished her bath toweled off and thought about putting her sweat soaked clothes back on but didn't want to. She wrapped the towel around her and slid the door open a crack. He didn't see Sasuke so she opened the door and stuck her head out to look down the hall. When she didn't see him, Hinata started down the hall with nothing but the towel around her. When she entered her room she bumped into Sasuke and started to fall backwards. Sasuke reached out and put his arm behind her pulling her up right. Trying to keep from falling herself she leaned forward but when Sasuke pulled her up right her balance was shifted forward, so Hinata fell into Sasuke. In the sudden movements the towel Hinata had on worked loose and fell to the floor. Hinata had not noticed she was leaning against Sasuke and could hear the beating of his heart. It was a steady beat and it comforted her. Hinata closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Sasuke. Sasuke stood there with Hinata against him and his arms inches away from her back. Sasuke was confused at the feelings he was having. He knew that Hinata liked Naruto. Since Sasuke had know Hinata he did not have feelings for her like she did for Naruto. To Sasuke, Hinata was just someone that was a friend to him when he needed one so long ago. He wanted her to be happy. Sasuke didn't really believe that she would be happy with Naruto but he knew she was happiest when she felt she was doing something that she thought Naruto would like her for. Sasuke helped her to these ends so she would be happy. Her hugging him like this did not fit with the image of her having a crush on Naruto. Sasuke had always been fond of Hinata since they were little for her kindness towards him but now he was feeling a growing attraction to the girl in front of him. He didn't know how he felt but he decided to embrace these feelings he was feeling and ignore the logic that told him to put a stop to this. Sasuke tenderly wrapped his arms around Hinata's naked back and embraced her. She seemed to snuggle up to him. Hinata listened as Sasuke's heart beat started beating harder and faster. At first she wondered if she was bothering Sasuke but then she felt his arms pull her closer to him and she knew that she wasn't bothering him. Hinata whispered "Thank you." Sasuke not wanting to ruin the moment didn't say anything, he brushed he cheek against Hinata's hair and received a stronger hug from Hinata. They stood there like that for a long time, neither wanting the moment to end. Sasuke going with what his gut was tell him slid his hand down Hinata's back and came to rest on her tail. Hinata didn't protest, so he gently squeezed. Sasuke found that Hinata had a firm butt. Hinata slipped her hands up under his shirt and caressed his back. Sasuke had not expected this type of reaction, he had expected her to start freaking out. She pulled at little and Sasuke was going to let her go but she didn't step back just enough to not be pressed up against him anymore. She turned her chin up and leaned forward some as Sasuke tilted his head down. They both closed there eyes when they were within an inch of each other's lips and Hinata's stomach growled loudly killing the mood. Sasuke kept his eyes closed but a huge grin was adorning his face. Hinata couldn't open her eyes from the embarrassment and was already turning a pretty shade of red. Hinata pulled her arms out from under Sasuke's shirt and he let go of her as so as he felt her start to pull away. They both opened there eyes with there gazes locked before Hinata looked down and Sasuke looked up. Hinata moved past Sasuke and walked to the wardrobe as Sasuke walked out of the room. Hinata opened the wardrobe and slipped on the white kimono with pink flowers. She tied the pink obi sash around her waist before closing the wardrobe. Hinata walked down the hall and found Sasuke in the kitchen cooking dinner. She walked into the living room and sat down at the table. She stared down at the table still feeling terribly embarrassed. The snake laughed "Sss sss sss." Hinata lowered her gaze even more. She was now looking at her lap. Eventually Sasuke entered the room carrying a tray that had a bowl of rice, a bowl of mixed vegetables, a plate of lemon flavored chicken, two empty bowls, two pairs of chopsticks, a tea kettle, and two cups. He set the tray down between them and placed both the empty bowl and cup in front of Hinata. Sasuke filled both her cup and his cup. Sasuke could tell that Hinata wasn't going to get her food until he had gotten his, so he took portions of the meal. Hinata followed not taking more than what Sasuke had taken. She sipped at her tea and when she set it down she said "It taste like plum."

Sasuke asked her "Do you dislike plum?"

Hinata shook her head "No. I like it." Hinata then picked up her chopsticks and started eating. When Sasuke looked from his food to Hinata he saw that she was looking everywhere but at him and she had a cute blush across her cheeks.

Sasuke smiled to himself then said "Eat your fill. You're going to need the energy tomorrow." When Hinata looked at Sasuke his attention was on his food. She smiled and nodded before returning her attention to her food. The snaked watch there exchange and laughed "Sss sss sss."


	12. Chapter Twelve

A Possible Future by Jason Corley

Chapter Twelve

Naruto woke up to his alarm clock. He rolled out of bed knowing he had to get going. Naruto ate a bowl of cereal before changing from his pajamas to his usual orange suit. On his way out the door Naruto grabbed his backpack and locked the door behind him. Naruto then set out to meet Jiraiya for his two weeks of training.

* * *

Hinata woke to a very loud ringing noise. She sat strait up and looked in the direction of the offending noise. Sasuke was standing at the foot of her bed with a pot lid and wooden spoon. He had apparently been beating on the lid with the wooden spoon. When Sasuke saw he had Hinata's full attention he said "You have one minute to get dressed if you want to eat. Starting...now." Sasuke turned around and walked out the door. Hinata knew Sasuke was serious from the look in his eyes. Hinata was out of the bed and was pulling off the shirt she was sleeping in as she walked quickly to her wardrobe. When she opened it she only saw one pair of clothes. A blue shirt and a pair or blue pants. She put them on and was walking down the hall while she tied the drawstring on her pants. She was about to walk past the kitchen strait to the living room but saw Sasuke was in the kitchen. Sasuke handed her a prepared bowl of food and a glass of water. Sasuke said "Eat up. That's all you get until dinner." When Hinata saw Sasuke pick up his bowl and start eating fast, she realized she was going to be expected to keep up. She started shoveling the food into her mouth and when Sasuke put down his bowl in the sink, Hinata downed the water. Sasuke was walking out of the room leaving her behind. Hinata dumped the bowl and glass in the sink and followed after Sasuke. Sasuke was putting on his footwear. Hinata scrambled to put hers on and catch up. Sasuke opened the door and started running. Hinata closed it before running after him. Hinata saw that Sasuke had on his black shirt and shorts instead of his blue shirt and white shorts. Hinata realized he was going to pack in as much training as he could in the two short weeks before the Chuunin exam.

* * *

Later that day Sakura walked into Tsunade's office and was surprised to find Tsunade awake and busy doing work. When Tsunade got a free moment she told Sakura that she was going to be too busy with the up coming Chuunin exam to train her and that she would have to train by herself. Sakura left the main office wondering who she could train with. Naruto had told her the previous night that he was going to be gone. Ino wasn't going to compete and wasn't in training. And she assumed that Kakashi would train Sasuke again. Sakura decided to take a walk. In her wandering she found Kakashi coming out of a bookstore. He was looking at it like he had been waiting for it for a long time. He opened it up and read the first sentence when Sakura interrupted him. Kakashi sighed and turned to look at her "Ah, Sakura, what can I do for you?"

Sakura said "I thought you would be training Sasuke."

Kakashi retorted by saying "I thought you would be training with the fifth."

Sakura replied "She's too busy to train me."

Kakashi said "Sasuke has decided he doesn't need to train. So I thought I could catch up on the reading I've wanted to do."

Sakura looked down and said "I see."

Kakashi sighed again and said "But, if you need someone to train you I'd be glad to."

Sakura looked up to Kakashi and asked "Really?"

Kakashi smiled and said "Really." He added mentally, 'And I can still catch up on the reading I've wanted to do.' He then continued by saying "But first lets get some lunch." Sakura nodded and they walked to a cafe.

As they walked out they saw Sasuke run by them. They watched as he ran down the street.

Sakura asked "Wasn't that Sasuke?" then Hinata ran by them. "And Hinata?" Asked a confused Sakura.

Kakashi smiled and said "It looks like Sasuke is training Hinata."

Sakura yelled "What?"

* * *

Jiraiya stopped and said "Ok. This is the place." Naruto looked around and didn't see anything.

Naruto asked "Here?"

Jiraiya answered "Yes. You won't be able to hurt people in your released state out here." Naruto looked slightly annoyed at the implication that he couldn't control the Kyuubi. Jiraiya said "Anytime you're ready."

Naruto said "Ok. You asked for it." Naruto then let the red chakra surround him. Naruto's pupils narrowed into slits, his canines extended slightly, and he developed claws. Naruto dropped to all fours and let the the red chakra take the shape of the Kyuubi around him. Naruto charged forward.

* * *

Kakashi continued to read his book as Sakura tried to fight him. Between turning pages Kakashi would throw punches. He made sure not to go faster than what Sakura could handle. When he noticed the sun going down he told her that they were through for the day. Sakura didn't want to stop but knew it was up to the trainer to determine when they would train. Kakashi walked off still reading his book. Sakura went home not knowing where else to go.

* * *

Hinata was throwing kunais and shurikens at the targets. She looked like she could barely stand. Here throws were all off mark. Only some of them hit the target at all. Sasuke said "We're not stopping till you hit the target ten times in a row." Hinata stopped to catch her breath. When she did Sasuke threw a kunai at her. She instinctively dodged it and Sasuke said "Keep throwing." Hinata did just that. She resumed throwing at the targets. Eventually she hit the target ten times in a row. When she stopped she faced Sasuke in a ready stance. Sasuke said "You earned your dinner." and started walking in the direction of the house. Hinata fell to her hands and knees breathing heavily. Sweat was dripping from her face to the ground. When Hinata saw that Sasuke wasn't going to help her this time she forced herself up and staggered after him. Hinata lost sight of Sasuke but knew they were threw for the day. When she eventually got to the house she removed her footwear relieved to get it off her feet because they were sore from the running, jumping, and kicking. She saw Sasuke setting the table. Hinata was so hungry. She walked over to the table and collapse into a sitting position. Sasuke served dinner and they started eating. Sasuke said "I've prepared the bath. You may go first." Hinata bowed her head and they finished there meal in silence. Hinata walked to the bathroom and found the white kimono waiting for her there. She smiled at the thought and closed the door. She pealed off her sweat soaked clothes and put them in the basket to be washed. She slipped into the soothingly warm bath. She closed her eyes and she felt like the aches from the day were melting away. She wondered why Sasuke was being so demanding of her during training. She had trained all day long from the moment she woke up that morning and she felt that it was going to be the same everyday until the Chuunin exam. And as it turns out she was right. For the next two weeks Hinata endured constant training at the hands of Sasuke. She had gotten use to getting dressed in under a minute and woofing down her food to keep up with Sasuke's training regimen. She had gotten use to the morning runs around the village and the midday sparring matches. She had gotten use to the afternoon jumping exercises and evening sparing matches. She had even progressed in the nightly throwing practices from trying to hit the target to always hitting the target and trying to hit the bull's-eye. But she could not get use to the way Sasuke insisted on waking her up. The pot lid and wooden spoon was so loud.

* * *

During the two weeks Tenten had been sent on a mission to the country of sand. She carried with her a scroll for the Kazekage. And she returned with a scroll for the Hokage. When she returned she stood before Tsunade in silence while she waited for instructions. Tenten was always annoyed at how the fifth would make her wait. Tsunade eventually told her to fetch Lee. Tenten bowed to Tsunade and left in search of Lee. As predicted she found him training with Gai. After she informed Lee that the fifth wanted to see him, Tenten headed home to rest. She was growing tired of the missions she was being sent on. Being a ninja wasn't what she thought it would be. She thought there would be adventure but all she was finding was guard duty, patrols, and carrying messages. Lee arrived at Tsunade's office and knocked. When he was told to enter he did so. Tsunade asked him if he was aware they were looking for volunteers to go to the country of sand. Lee shook his head and stated that if no one else volunteered he would. Tsunade informed him that it would be an extended mission that would probably last for a couple months. Lee nodded in understanding. Tsunade told Lee that she was pleased that he was volunteering since he had been requested by the Kazekage. He was told that he was to leave within the week which happened to be right before the Chuunin exam. Lee waited until the second to last day of the time he was given to leave. He said his goodbyes to Neji, Tenten, and Gai then left for the country of sand.

* * *

Sakura spent most of her time waiting for Kakashi to show up to train her. She always complained about him being late but she never thought to train while she waited for him. She had often considered joining Sasuke and Hinata since she had been seeing them run through the village. Sakura couldn't help but wonder what type of training Sasuke could be giving her. He wasn't even a Chuunin so it couldn't be better than what she was getting from Kakashi.

* * *

The day before the Chuunin Exam started Sasuke stood at the foot of Hinata's bed. He held the wooden spoon next to the pot lid ready to ring it several times. But he didn't he gently tapped it once causing a somewhat pleasant ring. Hinata woke up to the steady sound and sat up in bed. She looked at Sasuke holding the pot lid and wooden spoon. She jumped out of bed and was about to shrug off her sleep shirt when she noticed that Sasuke had not left yet. She stared at him and he said "Take your time. We're taking a break today." He then disappeared out of the room. Hinata opened her wardrobe to find that she now had new sets of blue shirts and pants. Her old ones were also there but they had tears and holes in them from the extensive training she had undergone. She felt a sense of warmness in her that he had gotten her new clothes to replace the old ones. Even though she knew they weren't special they were what she liked to wear when training. But since today they were taking a break she decided to wear a kimono. She looked at her choices. She still only had the same three. She didn't feel like wearing the white one and the one that looked like fire seemed out of place to her. So Hinata went with the blue one with the Uchiha clan symbol on the back. She tied the white obi around her waist before closing the wardrobe. She walked down the hall to the kitchen but Sasuke wasn't there so she continued to the living room where she found Sasuke sitting at the table. Breakfast had already been set out. Hinata sat down and poured tea for Sasuke. Sasuke poured for her then they both sipped at the tea. Hinata breathed in the smell of it to heighten the taste. It was the plum tea. It really was quite good she thought to herself. She looked up and saw Sasuke staring at her. He smiled to her and then started eating. She smiled back and started eating. When they finished eating Sasuke stood up and asked "Would you like to take a walk?" Hinata nodded but before she could get up Sasuke put his hand out to her. She looked at his hand then let her gaze travel up his arm to meet his eyes. Hinata reached out and grabbed his hand. Sasuke helped her to her feet and they walked to the door. She found that she now had sandals at the entrance and not just her ninja footwear. She looked to Sasuke who was putting on his footwear. Sasuke stood up and held out his hand for Hinata to balance herself while she put on the sandals. When they closed the door on there way out the snake laughed "Sss sss sss."

They walked side by side down the main street of the Uchiha manor and Hinata decided to ask "Has someone been doing upkeep to the houses?"

Sasuke looked down to Hinata and said "So you noticed." Hinata nodded. Sasuke continued "I've been doing occasional upkeep to them. I got tired of the place feeling like a morgue." Hinata didn't say anything to this. They walked a little further down the street and the wind blew causing Hinata to shiver at it. She felt Sasuke put his arm around her and pull her close to him. Right away Hinata felt the chill leave her and as they walked a little more she leaned against Sasuke for more warmth. They stopped walking when they got to the entranceway. Sasuke asked "Which way?" Hinata looked towards the market. Sasuke asked "Are you sure after what happened last time you wore that kimono around town." Hinata nodded and smiled up to Sasuke. Sasuke smiled back and they started walking towards the market.

As they walked Hinata asked Sasuke "What was it like?"

Sasuke asked "What was what like?"

Hinata answered "I was told you ran away to join Orochimaru."

The wind played with Sasuke's hair while he thought about what he wanted to say "I went to Orochimaru to gain power. And I got it."

* * *

Sasuke dodged a potentially crippling blow and retaliated with a series of attacks that Orochimaru easily countered. Sasuke was beaten for this failure at attacking. Sasuke rolled out of the way of another heavy attack. Sasuke had to have his Sharingan active to see the attacks and to have any hope of landing an attack. He still had yet to land more than a glancing blow against Orochimaru. When Orochimaru tired of playing with Sasuke he would turn him over to Kabuto. Once Orochimaru was out of sight, Kabuto would attack with a fury that Sasuke couldn't figure out why it was directed at him. Everyday Sasuke would be beaten to within an inch of his life and Kabuto would bring him back from the brink. After time Sasuke had seen Kabuto use some of his medical techniques while his Sharingan was still active. This allowed Sasuke to copy the technique. Sasuke was developing fast do to his fights with Orochimaru and Kabuto. Each time they used a technique Sasuke had his Sharingan active to copy it. What took the most ware on him was using so much chakra to have it active for extended periods of time. Sasuke eventually got to the point where Kabuto didn't use any new techniques against him. This gave Sasuke the opportunity to build up his stamina and chakra control. He was no longer constantly learning new techniques like he had been. When Kabuto quit fighting him he was forced to fight other sound ninja which meant he was using more energy towards learning more techniques. Sasuke found himself fighting until he could no longer move at which time his enemy would beat him till they had there fill.

* * *

As Hinata listened to Sasuke she realized why he had fought her the way he did that first time. She then realized that her training while intense still wasn't as intense as what Sasuke went through. She found a new respect for Sasuke. He wasn't just naturally better, he also fought and worked hard to become as good as he was. The wind blew causing Hinata to shiver again even though she was leaning against Sasuke and he still had his arm around her. Hinata tried to bury herself against Sasuke to get out of the cold. Sasuke looked around and saw a cafe. He lead Hinata over to it and they walked inside. Once inside they could feel the warmth of the cafe thawing their bones. The hostess looked at them and smiled thinking they looked like a nice couple. This was also the general impression that the villagers all had when they saw Sasuke and Hinata together. Their first walk started the rumor mill turning and was only feed by the daily runs they did. And now the villagers were starting to think it was true because of the walk that Sasuke and Hinata were now on. The hostess lead them to a table and the server asked them what they wanted. They both asked for tea. The server bowed to them and left to get the tea thinking it was strange for a couple to get tea at a place that was popular for coffee. When they received there drinks Sasuke and Hinata both sipped at them. They sat in silence for a time enjoying the warmth of the cafe and the tea they were drinking.

* * *

Sakura having felt like she waited long enough decided to head to town to get something to eat. On her way she came across Naruto walking with Jiraiya. Naruto greeted her and she greeted him in return. Jiraiya left the two of them to there own devices. The two of them were silent for a bit. Neither knowing what to say. Sakura spoke first "Do you want to get something to eat?" Naruto nodded and smiled. Sakura smiled and continued "I know this great place. It's very popular." Naruto didn't look quite as happy but he was still happy because it seemed Sakura had forgiven him. Naruto and Sakura walked along and came to the restaurant she was talking about. When they entered the hostess smiled to them and lead them to a table. Naruto and Sakura sat down. When the server asked them what they wanted, Sakura said they would both have coffee. Naruto looked annoyed at this and when Sakura noticed she told him that's what the cafe was popular for. When the server returned with two cups of coffee they ordered there food. Of course Naruto got ramen, while Sakura got a salad. Naruto often wondered why Sakura ate so little but Sakura always said she was on a diet and he didn't see a reason to press the subject. When the server was gone Naruto started looking around the cafe. He didn't really care for the style because he preferred the feel of a ramen shop. As his eyes wondered the cafe they came upon two people sitting by the window. One wore a long sleeve river blue shirt and white pants while the other wore a river blue kimono. What Naruto found strange at first was the person wearing the long sleeve shirt usually wore a short sleeve shirt and shorts instead of pants. After he got past this oddity Naruto realized it was Sasuke and Hinata sitting together. Naruto pointed them out to Sakura and she looked over at the two of them. They watched as Sasuke and Hinata drank their tea. Naruto and Sakura started discussing why they would be there together but not talking. Sakura told Naruto what she had seen of Sasuke and Hinata over the past two weeks. Naruto thought about it for a moment then told Sakura about Hinata wearing the Uchiha clan symbol while she and Sasuke were out for a walk. Sakura had finally talked to someone she trusted who could verify that rumor. She looked a little sad but kept the cheer in her voice. Naruto couldn't help but wonder if Sakura would be happier with Sasuke and if Hinata would be happier with him. Eventually Sakura and Naruto's food arrived. They started eating but there conversation was still about Sasuke and Hinata. Finally it looked like the two of them started talking but Naruto and Sakura couldn't hear was being said, so they talked about what they thought was being said.

* * *

Between sips Hinata and Sasuke started talking about the Chuunin exam. Hinata informed Sasuke of who made Chuunin and when. That all three of Gai's students made Chuunin the following Chuunin exam after Sasuke left. Sasuke grinned when he was told that Lee now looked exactly like Gai now. Hinata giggled a little at the thought. When Sasuke asked how Hinata did in that one she looked a little embarrassed and said that her team didn't get past the second exam. That they weren't able to find the second scroll in time. Sasuke nodded realizing that it did happen that way sometimes. He found it interesting that for that exam Sakura and Naruto didn't make it past the first exam because their third team member backed out. Of the ones he was familiar with that only left the 3 sand ninjas. He was told that Temari made Chuunin that time while Gaara and Kankuro didn't. He asked what happened to them and Hinata told him what happened in the fight between Lee and Kankuro. She also told him that neither Gaara or Kankuro have participated in one since. Sasuke asked about Gaara and Hinata told him that he was disqualified for not showing up. Hinata then told him about the second Chuunin exam after he left. How her team made it to the finals since there were no preliminaries that time. She explained that after her and Kiba were matched against each other they couldn't go all out so they didn't make Chuunin. Shino was lucky and made Chuunin by expertly setting up his enemy. Naruto and Sakura finally made it to the second exam with there new team member but failed to get a second scroll. Sasuke was beginning to think that all of them had been lucky that first time. Hinata was embarrassed to tell Sasuke that her team didn't make it past the first exam for the third Chuunin exam after Sasuke left because the third member of her team backed out of the first exam. He asked if she knew what happened to Naruto and Sakura. She said she heard that Naruto and Sakura's third member got injured during the second exam and they didn't finish. Hinata then told Sasuke of the fourth and last Chuunin exam since Sasuke had left. Hinata told Sasuke that Kiba lost in the preliminaries to Naruto again but because of how Naruto fights he did not make Chuunin even after he won the finals. Sasuke smirked at this. He asked what happened to her and Sakura. Hinata told him that Sakura lost to a wave ninja when she was imprisoned in a ball of water. Sasuke nodded understanding that if Kakashi couldn't get out of that move then Sakura probably couldn't. Sasuke asked again what happened to Hinata. She looked embarrassed and said told Sasuke that she lost to a mind jutsu technique. Sasuke felt sorry for her because he knew how back a mind jutsu could be. He still had nightmares from the one that his brother used on him. After they finished talking they decided to head back to the Uchiha manor because it was too cold enjoy there walk. As they were leaving Naruto and Sakura saw on Hinata's back, the Uchiha clan symbol followed by Sasuke putting his arm around Hinata before they walked out into the cold. Both Naruto and Sakura turned to look at each other and were speechless.

* * *

Author's Notes

Yes, I know. This is a bad one. It feels rushed. I tried to fast forward in time while explaining what happened in the two weeks. It could have been better but I didn't want to just drag out two weeks day by day. I still have plenty of ideas. I just have to get to them. Be forewarned, I am not the best at writing fight scenes. If in my rush I confused anyone feel free to ask questions. If you ask them before I get the next chapter out, I will answer them in that chapter.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

A Possible Future by Jason Corley

Chapter Thirteen

The following morning Hinata woke to a steady ring from the pot lid she so hated. Hinata did notice that it wasn't the repeated ringing that she hated but just one ring. She sat up and looked around the room and noticed that Sasuke wasn't in the room. Her door was cracked open the way she had left it. She got out of bed and walked to her wardrobe to dress herself. Once dressed Hinata started down the hall and saw Sasuke's retreating back heading into the living room where they ate their meals. She followed into the living room and sat down at the table that Sasuke was setting. Sasuke poured tea for both of them. Hinata said "Thank you for the meal." After that they ate in silence each thinking about what was before them for the day. Once they were finished they both stood up and carried the dishes into the kitchen. Sasuke washed the dishes and handed them to Hinata to dry. After they finished the dishes they walked back to the living room to put there footwear on at the door. Sasuke closed the door on there way out. They walked to the academy in silence. When they got there they walked to the room where theory were to be taking the first exam. Sasuke saw Naruto and Sakura there already. The two of them looked annoyed that Sasuke didn't get there earlier. But what none of them knew was that Naruto and Sakura were also annoyed that Sasuke showed up with Hinata. Hinata joined Kiba and surprisingly Chouji. As it turns out Chouji wanted to take the Chuunin exam again even if Ino didn't. So he signed in as a Solo to be put on a team and he was put with Kiba and Hinata. Kiba looked very annoyed that Hinata showed up with Sasuke but didn't say anything about it. The six of them walked in to the room of Genins all trying to pass the exam. Sasuke looked around the room and saw a face he hadn't been expecting. He saw Kabuto there but this time he was wearing a forehead protector with the symbol of the country of sound. Sasuke walked over to him and asked "What brings you here?"

Kabuto smiled and said "Well since my secret is out I am free to pass the exam."

Sasuke replied "Are you sure you're not here to try and take me back?"

Kabuto answered "Even I couldn't pull that off with all these instructors here. And it looks like you aren't completely welcome here. Everyone is looking at your forehead protector and they see that you have already cut your ties here. You may have a harder time passing this exam then you think."

Naruto said loudly "Kabuto? How can you be here? Is Orochimaru here again?"

Kabuto replied "I don't think he would be. He already has Sasuke after all."

Sasuke smirked at this but no one else was smiling. Naruto and Sakura both looked worried. Hinata, Kiba, and Chouji looked concerned. Before any of them could say anything more one of the instructors walked in and told all of the Genin in the room to follow him. As they entered they were told where to sit for the written exam. It was laid out very similar to the first time any of them took the Chuunin exam. The exam consisted of 10 questions and they had to pass with a 70. They were not told the last question would be given at the end. And if they were caught cheating they would be disqualified. When the exam started and they turned the paper over the questions were once again impossible. But again Sakura knew the answers and answered all of them without cheating. Kiba was once again getting his answers from Akamaru. Kiba assumed that Hinata would use her Byakugan to get the answers but what he didn't know was that Hinata didn't have it anymore and he was more concerned with how Chouji was going to pass. Naruto was freaking out again. He always waited for the last question. He knew the last question was what really counted but he never knew if that would be the time he didn't know it. Sasuke answered a few of the questions on his own having learned quite a bit from the scrolls he stole from Orochimaru but for the one he didn't know he used his Sharingan to copy the answers from one of the people that knew. Once done he saw Hinata staring at the paper with fear and he could tell she didn't know how to get the answers without her Byakugan. He noticed that Chouji and Naruto both were freaking out. Sasuke decided to pull a risky move. He closed his eyes and visualized the room and where everyone was sitting. He pinpointed Hinata, Naruto, and Chouji. He started mouthing soundless words. At the same time Hinata, Naruto, and Chouji all looked up surprised to be hearing Sasuke's voice clearly. They started to look around the room but stopped with Sasuke told them to just write as he talked. Naruto wanted to yell at Sasuke and nearly missed what Sasuke was saying because of his own thoughts. The three of them all wrote as Sasuke spoke. When Sasuke finished reading off the answers to the questions he opened his eyes and waited for the tenth question. Naruto was wondering how Sasuke had done that without getting caught. To him it sounded as clear as if Sasuke had been sitting right next to him. As for Hinata and Chouji they were trying to figure out why Sasuke had given them the answers. Chouji more than Hinata because she assume it was because they lived in the same house and Sasuke was taking pity on her. As the hour passed by more and more students were disqualified along with there team mates. Eventually very few were left and the examiner told them that if they didn't pass the 10th question that they would never become Chuunins. But if they left then they would get to try again next time. It was looking exactly like the first time they took the exam. Naruto smiled and was about to say something but Sasuke yelled in Naruto's ear. Naruto covered his ears trying to lessen the volume but it was still just as loud. Eventually Sasuke stopped yelling and said that there chances would be higher if more people left. Naruto looked up and noticed that most of the people were leaving. He looked over at Sasuke and saw a grin on his face. Eventually people stopped leaving and the instructor told them to write the name of only one of there team members that they would want to pass. The instructor also told them that if they caught any looking around or cheating all members would be disqualified. Sasuke thought for a moment. He knew that Naruto would either put down his own name or Sakura's. Sasuke was assuming Naruto would write Sakura. He then wondered what Sakura would write. He knew that Sakura's feeling for Naruto had changed but he thought that she still like him also. Sasuke closed his eyes and was about to talk to Sakura but realized that they would easily see his mouth moving and know he was cheating. Sasuke just had feeling that they were going to be more strict. Sasuke thought about how Sakura would think. She would know that Sasuke wouldn't write Naruto's name and would write it herself. Sasuke decided he had to chance putting down his own name. Kiba wrote Hinata's name without hesitation. Chouji felt that Kiba deserved to be a Chuunin more than any of them and wrote down Kiba's name. Hinata thought about how Kiba and Chouji would answers. She knew that Kiba would either put her name or his own. She was guessing that Chouji would answer with who he thought was the better fighter. She was also guessing that Chouji thought Kiba was the best fighter on there team. Hinata decided to chance writing Chouji's name. After the allotted fifteen minutes they were allowed for the tenth question the examiner walked around and picked up the papers. He quickly put the exams together by team. He looked at the answers for the tenth question only. He told a several of the Genin they were disqualified. When they asked why. The instructor told them they failed the last question. When they started complaining about never becoming Chuunins the examiner told them that he lied about never being able to become a Chuunin. Part of being a ninja is being able to lie. The ones that were told to leave left. He then told the remaining Genin that they passed. He then explained that if everyone was chosen by someone else then they would all pass but if two people in the same team wrote the same name then that meant that at least one of them wasn't going to have their name listed meaning that one of them wouldn't pass and since all three had to pass, all three would fail. Naruto, Kiba, and Chouji's expression all showed that they weren't thinking like that. They had just written the name of who they wanted to pass. Hinata and Sakura both sighed in relief. Sasuke just sat there. The examiner continued by explaining that the point of the last question was to make sure that everyone in the team was being watched, be it by themselves or by each other. The second examiner came in to lead them to the where the second exam would take place. Everyone got up to follower the examiner out but on his way Chouji waved to Shikamaru who was one of the Chuunin watching for cheaters. It was one of the few times that Shikamaru wore the blue jumpsuit with his Chuunin jacket.

* * *

Naruto was up front following the examiner with Sakura by his side. Naruto went on about how good he was. That he knew all the answers but Naruto would take quick glances at Sasuke to see if he was going to reveal what he had done. Naruto was surprised to see that Sasuke wasn't trying to deflate he ego he was flaunting. Naruto went back to talking to whoever would listen. Sakura for her part followed along quietly which wasn't like her. Kiba talked with Chouji as they walked while Hinata followed along behind them. Hinata's gaze switched between her teammates, Naruto, and Sasuke. Until recently she had always watched Naruto. That thought alone made her look to Sasuke who was now drawing her attention more and more. That night that she and Sasuke almost kissed was still in her memory. She didn't know what it meant. She didn't know what it meant to Sasuke. She didn't know what it meant to her. She wasn't even sure if it meant anything at all or if it was just because both of them were lonely. In the two weeks sense she hadn't brought it up. She still didn't want to bring it up but she wanted to know. When she looked at Sasuke while they were walking he looked distracted like he was trying to watch everyone at once. She then noticed that Sasuke had his Sharingan active. The whole time she trained with Sasuke he had never used his Sharingan and she almost never saw him with it active. She wondered what had him worried enough to have it active. Sasuke for his part was keeping an eye on Kabuto and the other eye on everyone else.

* * *

Once they arrived at the gate around the forest that had been the location of the second exam all the Genin formed into there teams. The examiner explained the rules. That they had 5 days to obtain both the heaven and earth scrolls. Half the teams would get one type and the other half the other type. Once again they were told they couldn't compete unless they signed consent forms. This time there were only 14 teams to begin with that made it to the second exam. After each of the teams got a scroll they each walked to a gate to wait till the exam started. When the exam started each team raced forward into the forest of death. Kiba's team did what they had always done and that was to sets traps for an enemy team to walk into. Naruto's team was a bit more forward in there tactics since Sasuke had agreed to let Naruto lead. The only threat Sasuke felt the whole time was from Kabuto. And even though he felt threatened by Kabuto, he didn't think Kabuto would try to force a fight. It seemed as if Kabuto really was after making Chuunin this time. They stopped when they came across a trio of young Genin. Naruto told Sasuke and Sakura to let him handle this. He only semi released the Kyuubi so his eyes pupils were slits and he had claws. He jumped down and roared at the trio. They screamed and Naruto tore at the two guys clothing along with leaving some bloodied scratches. He turned his head to look at the girl and let an expression he learned from the perverted hermit creep onto his face. Naruto moved towards the girl waving his arms in a clawing motion. The girl screamed in terror. Sasuke jumped down and grabbed Naruto by the collar. Sasuke stared at the girl and said "If you give us your scroll we will let you go unharmed. If you don't I can't guarantee my grip won't slip." He then let Naruto move forward a little and Naruto snarled. The girl pulled out the scroll and dropped it at her feet before running off. Sasuke let go of Naruto and Naruto reached down to pick up the scroll.

Naruto let himself return to normal and sighed "It's not even the one we need." He tossed the scroll to Sasuke right before Sakura landed a rather hard punch to Naruto's head. Naruto cried out in pain and asked "What was that for?"

Sakura looked pissed and she said angrily "What were you going to do if Sasuke hadn't stopped you?"

Naruto pleaded "I wasn't going to do anything. I knew Sasuke would get the idea."

Sakura said loudly "You could have told us first."

They now had two earth scrolls. They continued on in hopes of finding a team with the scroll of heaven.

* * *

Kiba stopped and said "Hinata, use your Byakugan to look for the other teams." When Hinata didn't do as he said he asked "What's wrong. Why aren't you using your Byakugan."

Hinata looked down and said "I can't use it anymore." Kiba looked at her knowing he had missed something important while he was away. He looked down to Akamaru and Akamaru barked in understanding. It was up to them for scouting from now on.

* * *

Sakura hit Naruto on the head very hard and Naruto asked "What did I do wrong? You didn't hit me last time."

Sakura hit Naruto again and said "The last time you didn't rip the front of the girl's clothes either."

Naruto pleaded "But she wasn't turning over the scroll."

Sakura cracked her knuckles and loomed over Naruto as she asked "And what would you have done if she didn't turn it over." Naruto looked to Sasuke for support but Sasuke was looking elsewhere. Sakura grabbed hold of Naruto's collar and continued "Don't think Sasuke can help you. This was your idea."

Naruto was sweating bullets. Naruto had learned the hard way over the months that Sakura's punches were getting stronger. In a nervous tone Naruto said "Sakura...I didn't do anything. I was just trying to scare them. I haven't hurt any of them." Sakura stared Naruto in the face and was drawing back to punch him but stopped when Sasuke spoke.

"This is getting annoying." Sasuke said flatly. "This is the third earth scroll we've taken. Which means we have four of the seven earth scrolls."

* * *

Kiba yelled "He did what?"

The rain ninja hanging upside down in the trap that they had set said "I said that..."

Kiba interrupted him by saying "I heard what you said." He sighed before continuing "I guess I can't say I'm surprised since it's Naruto. What I can't believe is that Sasuke and Sakura are going along with it."

As they started to walk away Chouji said "It does seem like Sasuke would make them do it his way."

In a quiet voice Hinata asked the rain ninja "What type of scroll were you carrying."

The rain ninja replied "If you let us down we'll tell you."

Kiba strode forward quickly and grabbed the rain ninja by the hair and said exposing his fangs "If you tell us we won't harm you."

The rain ninja answered "We had an earth scroll."

* * *

Sasuke sighed as he leaned against a tree and stated "That's it. It's been three days and we've collected all the earth scrolls but not a single heaven scroll."

Naruto spoke up optimistically "Then that means the next ones we find will have a scroll of heaven."

Sakura replied "Only if they haven't lost it to a group doing what we are."

Sasuke said "Instead of continuing with Naruto's plan of moving in a spiral around the course getting closer to the center lets just go strait to the center and wait for the others. We have all the earth scrolls. They have to get one from us to move on."

* * *

As Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura approached the building at the center of the forest they stopped to look for any signs of there enemies. They didn't see any so Naruto decided to take command again and lead them out into the open. Unfortunately for Naruto he stepped into a trap. His foot was pulled out from underneath him and he saw the world turn upside down. He dangled there and scream "Get me down." Sasuke and Sakura stared at him wondering how he could still get caught by such a basic trap.

Kiba said "Hey, it's Naruto." As Naruto hung there and slowly spun Kiba, Chouji, and Hinata walked out to meet him.

Chouji asked "What scroll do you have?" Naruto clamped his mouth shut.

Kiba spoke in a tone that sounded like he had already won "Come on. If you tell us we'll let you go unhurt. That is of course if you give us your scroll if we need it." The rope holding Naruto and he landed just to get caught in another trap. Unfortunately Sasuke and Sakura were already in the middle of their jump and landed in the open with the rest of them.

Sasuke said "Here's a deal. You help us fight the next group and if it is a scroll we need we keep it. If it is a scroll you need you keep it. And just so we know who needs what we'll show each other what we have."

Kiba said annoyed "We know you have an extra earth scroll. You just want us to help you get a scroll of heaven."

Naruto said from his swaying position "Or we could just take yours." Kiba and Chouji took up a ready stance. Which caused Sakura to assume a ready stance while Naruto pulled out a kunai to hold in front of him and Sasuke to just stand there with a grin. Sasuke smiled when he saw that Hinata didn't think to try and fight them. He then looked at Kiba and Chouji when he said "New deal. If you help us get a scroll of heaven we will give you a scroll of earth. And if you happened to lose the one you started with we will give you an extra to barter with. Besides you owe me."

Kiba snarled when he asked "And why's that?"

Kiba looked over his shoulder surprised when Chouji dropped out of ready stance answered his question "Sasuke gave me the answers to the questions on the first exam. We wouldn't be here if he hadn't helped me." Kiba then turned his attention to Sasuke along with everyone else.

After thinking for a moment Kiba relaxed and said "Deal."

* * *

It was the last day and still no one else had arrived. The six Genin from Konoha were started to lose their patience. They were getting ready to send Naruto out in the open since that was his way of the ninja and he would make excellent bait. But they didn't have to because Kabuto walked out in the open with his team mates and looked in the direction of the Konoha six when he said "I see you Naruto. You're not hidden that well. You and your team mates can come on out. We just want to talk." Naruto and Sakura came out of hiding right away and started walking towards Kabuto. Sakura was walking behind Naruto.

Kabuto said "I know you're there Sasuke. Come on out."

Sasuke whispered to Kiba "You better be ready to back us up." He then handed two scrolls of earth to Hinata. When she looked at him in a questioning manner her whispered to her "One for you and one of us if he takes all the ones in our possession. Sasuke jumped down out of the tree and walked forward to meet with Kabuto. They stood several paces apart. Sasuke had his Sharingan active. Naruto looked like he was itching for a fight since he was clinching and unclenching his hands.

Kabuto said "From the number of teams we came across that claim they had a scroll of earth that was taken by a monster wearing orange we know you have at least one extra scroll of earth. And you wouldn't still be out here if you didn't need a scroll of heaven. So I propose a deal. You give us a scroll of earth and we will give you a scroll of heaven."

Sasuke quickly said "Deal." and pulled out a scroll of earth. Kabuto pulled out a scroll of heaven and they walked towards each other. They both slowly reached for the other person's scroll. They each had hold of both scrolls. They both smirked and completed the switch. Kabuto and his two teammates backed away towards the building. After they had disappeared inside Sasuke turned around to see Kiba, Chouji, and Hinata walking towards them. Hinata held out both scrolls of earth and Sasuke smiled to her when he grabbed just one. The six of them entered the building together. Sasuke, Naruto, Kiba, and Chouji all opened the scrolls resulting in summoning Kakashi and Kurenai. The six of them were congratulated for making it that far and shown to the waiting room.

* * *

Upon learning that all 7 of the earth scrolls had been brought in it was decided to cut the wait short and proceed with the ceremony. Tsunade greeted the three teams that made it. She was glad to see that Sakura had made it. Tsunade informed them that because of the number of people that had been disqualified all the members of the three teams would be competing in the finals. They were told to reach into a box and pull out a number. They each did so and the match set-up was determined.1: Chouji vs. 2: Yamabiko 

3: Sakura vs. 4: Hinata

5: Sasuke vs. 6: Hibiki

7: Kiba vs. 8: Naruto

9: Kabuto

Winner of 1vs2 fights winner of 3vs4 and that winner becomes A. Winner of 7vs8 fights 9. Winner of 5vs6 fights winner of 9vs(winner of 7vs8) and that winner becomes B. A fights B resulting in the winner of the competition.

* * *

Author's Notes

I expect to hammer out chapter 14 pretty quick. But since spring semester starts Jan 6, I don't know how quickly I can get chapter 15 out. This is probably where the chapters slow down. I wanted to get as much out before the end of January, when the manga is scheduled to resume. I also plan to fix the scene changes in earlier chapters.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

A Possible Future by Jason Corley

Chapter Fourteen

After leaving the forest of death the six Genin from Konoha decided to celebrate by eating out together. At the booth they were sitting in Sakura was flanked by Sasuke and Naruto who was next to the wall. Across from them sat Kiba who was flanked by Hinata and Chouji who was also next to the wall. Chouji was happily munching on his appetizer while the rest of them sipped at there drinks waiting for their meals. Kiba and Naruto were arguing across the table about who was going to win their match. Hinata would peak up from her drink at Sasuke and Naruto. Sakura watch Hinata looking at both Naruto and Sasuke. Sakura was slightly annoyed that Hinata was looking at both Naruto and Sasuke but she couldn't really say anything since she also couldn't decide. All conversation stopped though when they all heard what sounded like one voice chorused call out "Master." Sasuke sat strait up but didn't turn around while everyone else looked at who had disturbed their meal. Everyone but Sasuke watched as two petite girls rapidly approached the table with the six Genin. Everyone was very surprised when they latched onto Sasuke.

"Master." Raion cheered happily as she hugged him around the waist. Tora was nearly on top of her sister clinging to Sasuke's neck.

"Master?" Naruto, Sakura, and Kiba chorused wanting to know what was going on.

* * *

Kankuro said to Temari "I can't believe you actually agreed to participate in this stupid program. They are leafs. They're weak."

Temari answered back as she continued to pack "I don't care. I think I'll be happy there. Besides I've already agreed to go."

Kankuro repeated to himself what she said and then asked "What do you mean, you think you'll be happy there?"

Temari latched her back pack closed and said "I mean exactly that. I think I will be happy there."

Kankuro walked over and grabbed Temari's arm then forced her look him in the face when he said "You're going because of him, aren't you?"

Temari pulled her arm away and said "So what if I am? What are you going to do about it?" When Kankuro didn't answer right away she went back to packing her duffle bag and said "Its my life. I'll do what I want." Kankuro stood there and watched as his older sister packed the rest of her things into her duffle bag and then synch it up before latching it closed. Temari put her backpack on and shouldered her duffle bag. The last thing she picked up was her fan which she hefted onto her shoulder. She walked by Kankuro and stopped before leaving to say "I don't know why you are always working on your puppets now but I hope you can move past whatever is bothering you." Kankuro turned around but Temari was gone. He then looked back at the room to felt that the whole house would feel empty without Temari not just the room. She even took her books with her.

* * *

Sasuke was sitting at the table with Raion in his lap, her legs sticking out the end of the booth. She was resting her head against his chest and had her arms wrapped around his torso. Tora on the other hand was sitting in a chair next to Sasuke with her head against his shoulder and her arms wrapped around his right arm. Chouji continued to eat but still paid some attention to what was going on. Kiba and Naruto stared at Sasuke in disbelief. Sakura's expression was that of annoyance because Sasuke was letting two girls she had never seen before hang all over him. Hinata looked at Sasuke with an expression of sadness. Sasuke for his part looked like he would have had a huge sweat drop next to his head if that could really happen.

Sakura was the first to speak "Excuse me. But who are you two?"

Raion replied in a happy tone "We are master's slaves." To this everyone froze and fell silent except for the happy humming coming from Raion. Everyone came back to themselves once the server brought out there food. Chouji quickly started in on his steak while Naruto started eating his ramen noodles. Kiba started cutting up his steak to share with Akamaru while Sakura picked at her salad. Hinata and Sasuke shared a bowl of rice while they each had a plate of vegetables and assorted fish. Sasuke only having his left hand free picked up his chopsticks to start eating. As Sasuke was about to put a second bite in his mouth he noticed that Raion was salivating at the sight of the food. He sighed then lowed the piece down to in front of Raion. She looked up with hope showing in her eyes.

"For me?" She asked. When Sasuke nodded joy shown on her face and she opened her mouth saying "ahh." Sasuke put the piece in her mouth, pulling the chopsticks free when she closed her mouth on the piece of fish. She chewed with an obvious smile. Everyone at the table stopped to stare at this exchange. Sasuke picked up another piece and offered it to Tora who opened her mouth to have Sasuke feed her. Once they had both had a bite Sasuke returned to feeding himself. When he looked up everyone was still staring at him.

Once again Sakura was the first to speak and she spoke with annoyance in her voice "What are your names? And explain how you know Sasuke."

"I'm Raion and my sister is Tora." Answered Raion cheerfully.

When neither sister answered her second question Sasuke repeated herself "Explain how you know Sasuke."

Raion smiled when she said "Orochimaru gave us to Sasuke and he accepted us." Then she hugged Sasuke tightly.

Naruto asked "What do you mean Orochimaru gave you to Sasuke. How do you give a person to someone else?"

Raion looked over her shoulder and said to Naruto "Where are you from? A master can freely give there slaves to someone else. And we were given to Master." Naruto looked a little put out by the insult.

Sakura informed Raion and Tora "There is no slavery in the country of fire. So by coming here that means you are no longer Sasuke's."

Raion and Tora both looked at Sakura with shocked expressions. Sakura smiled since she knew that they would leave Sasuke knowing they were free now. Naruto and Kiba let a smug look creep into there expression since it looked like Sasuke was going to lose two girls from his collection of followers, even though most had moved on in the two and a half years since Sasuke left. Hinata looked somewhat hopeful. Sasuke had a thoughtful expression when he heard this.

Raion and Tora both looked at Sasuke fearfully.

"Is that true Master Sasuke?" Tora asked.

Sasuke nodded.

Raion cried out as she clung to Sasuke "Nooo. You have to come back master."

Sasuke replied coldly "I won't go back."

Tears were rolling down Raion's cheeks when she pleaded "But master, you have to come back. If you don't come back you won't be our master anymore."

Sasuke closed his eyes so he didn't have to see Tora's sad expression or Raion's tears. Kiba and Naruto now looked ashamed of themselves since the two were sad instead of happy. Sakura looked victorious while Hinata looked like she could sympathize with them.

Sasuke sighed and said with his eyes closed "It could be argued that since you made it here you are free. It could also be argued that because you are from the country of sound, you would still be bound to me because of trade laws." When Sasuke didn't hear a response, he opened his eyes to see two very relieved faces staring at him. Both Raion and Tora clung to Sasuke in relief. Sasuke gave Sakura a look of 'don't even think of arguing the point.' He saw that Naruto, Kiba, and Chouji all appeared to be ignoring the situation. He continue to look around the table and let his gaze settle on Hinata. She could see a search for acceptance in his eyes. She thought for a minute and smiled to him. Sasuke smiled back then looked down at the two clinging to him and said "The two of you are welcome with the Uchiha." They both hugged Sasuke tightly and with fondness.

* * *

The eight of them walked outside the restaurant having paid their bill. Naruto was the first out the door followed by Kiba who stepped to the side along with Akamaru. Chouji walked out and stood between Naruto and Kiba. Sasuke walked out followed closely by Raion and Tora who flanked his sides once he stopped outside. Hinata walked out and stopped in front of Sasuke placing herself between Sasuke and Naruto. Sakura was the last out and when she saw where Hinata was standing she moved to put herself between Naruto and Hinata. She leaned back against Naruto who for his part couldn't help but wrap his arms around her waist. Hinata looked at Sakura who gave her a look of 'Naruto's mine.' Hinata turned her head away so she didn't have to see Naruto and Sakura together.

Chouji said "I'm going to head home."

Kiba kidded him "Don't you mean you are going to head to Ino's home?" When Chouji blushed Kiba, Naruto, and Sakura laughed.

Chouji rubbed the back of his head and chuckled before saying "Well, I'm going." With this he turned to leave.

Kiba called out to him "Train hard. The finals are only a month away." Chouji didn't turn around but he did wave back showing he heard.

Sakura turned her head up and placed her hands on Naruto's hands when she said "We should be going to."

Naruto looked down at her then smiled and said "Yeah. We should be going." Sakura pulled away from Naruto but held on to his hand and gave a look to Hinata before pulling Naruto away by the hand that said 'You won't get him.'

Kiba couldn't help but want to reach out and comfort Hinata. But instead he said "Hinata, why don't I walk you home."

Hinata shook her head and smiled to him when she replied "That's ok. I'm going home with Sasuke. Have a nice evening." She then turned to face Sasuke and said "It is getting late. We should head home." Sasuke nodded in agreement and turned to walk beside Hinata followed by Raion and Tora. They walked away leaving Kiba and Akamaru standing there with his jaw hanging open.

* * *

Sasuke and Hinata were walking side by side with Raion and Tora following them. Raion bent over a little and started to advance on Sasuke only to be pulled back by Tora. Raion opened her mouth to complain but her mouth was covered by Tora's hand. A light wind blew sending a chill down Hinata's back causing her to shiver slightly. Sasuke put his arm around Hinata and pulled her close. She leaned against him soaking in the warmth he gave her. Raion was pushing and pulling trying to get away from Tora but wasn't succeeding. After walking for a bit Raion had stopped trying to get to Sasuke and decided to drag her feet as she pouted. Tora watched Raion closely knowing that she would pounce once her guard dropped. When they arrived at the entrance way to the Uchiha manor Sasuke stopped and turned to face Tora and Raion. He said "From this point on, this is home." Sasuke then started walking again along with the trio of girls he was with. When they walked inside they all sat down on the step to take there footwear off. Sasuke got up and lead the way down the hall. He showed Tora and Raion the bathroom first.

Raion pointed and said "That tub isn't big enough for all of us to fit in it."

Tora grinned and said "If we're very friendly, it is." She looked over to Hinata who had been following and who was also blushing.

Sasuke not really thinking anything of the comment, walked down the hall and indicated a room when he said "For the time being this will be your room." Raion and Tora walked in and smiled gratefully.

When Tora walked over to the window to look outside, Raion latched onto Sasuke's left arm and said "And where is master's room?" Sasuke looked down at her and didn't really want to answer.

Sasuke gently freed his arm from Raion and said "I have to look over some things. Feel free to look around." With this Sasuke walked down the hall to the living room.

When Sasuke sat down at the table in the living room to read over some scrolls he heard the snake say "I ssee the twinss have followed you here." Sasuke didn't answer to the snake continued "You do know that they will alwayss follow you, right masster?" Sasuke nodded. The snake hissed "Thiss doess make it eassier for you to attain one of your goalss." The snake noticed that Sasuke had stopped reading to think and just made it look like he was still reading. The snake then resumed talking "Or did you think you would attain your goal by using misss Hinata." When Sasuke's expression changed from focused to thoughtful the snake laughed "Sss sss sss."

* * *

Raion walked down the hall and found Hinata in her room hold a blue kimono in one hand and a white kimono in the other. Raion asked "Do you belong to master also?"

Hinata pulled both kimonos to her and turned around when she asked "What? What do you mean?"

Raion sat down on the bed and asked cheerfully "Do you also belong to master?" When Hinata didn't answer Raion asked "Is master your master?" Hinata shook her head and Raion asked "Are you master's wife or fiancée?" Hinata shook her head so Raion asked "Are you master's lover?" Hinata shook her head fast and was now blushing slightly. Raion smiled and said "Do you want to be master's lover?"

Hinata shook her head very fast blushing bright red and said "No."

Raion grinned knowingly and said "Sure. Don't worry. I won't tell him. Or maybe I will."

Hinata was bright red and stammered "No. I...we...we're just friends. He...he's letting me stay here."

Raion sighed and asked "If the two of you are just friends then why does master favor you?" Hinata looked at Raion surprised and speechless. Raion continued "You mean you didn't know?"

Hinata stammered out "You...your wrong. How...how could you know?"

Raion sighed again and said "I've been with master for two years, eight months, and nine days. I can tell. I can also tell that he doesn't know that he favors you." Raion jumped up and said "Go with the blue. It suits you." With that Raion skipped out of the room and down the hall. Hinata put the white kimono down on the bed and held the blue one close to her.

* * *

After Hinata bathed she walked into the living room wearing the blue kimono. She saw Sasuke sitting at the table reading a scroll and Tora laying on the sofa but something seemed out of place. She then realized she didn't see Raion in the room. Hinata didn't know much about the girl but she knew that she tried to stay with Sasuke as much as possible but Hinata didn't see her. Hinata looked around the room and saw a pile of white and black clothes next to the table. Hinata sat down at the table and slipped her legs under the blanket coming off the table. Hinata jumped when she felt something under the table then she heard Raion giggling. And it sounded like it was coming from Sasuke. Hinata then saw movement under the blanket that was covering Sasuke's legs. Sasuke said "Come on. I said you could rest you head in my lap. I didn't say you could sit in my lap."

Hinata heard more giggling from under the blanket then she saw Tora walk over to Sasuke and reach under the blanket. Tora pulled up and brought Raion with her by the single braid. When Hinata saw Raion she blushed because Raion was completely naked.

Tora said "I told you not to bother master Sasuke."

Raion complained "But I wasn't bothering master. He said I could rest in his lap."

Tora replied "He said you could rest your head in his lap. Now sit down and behave yourself."

Raion sat down at the table pouting. She laid her head on the table and stared at Sasuke. Hinata couldn't believe what she was seeing. Raion was moving about without her clothes like she didn't care if Sasuke saw her or not. Hinata changed what she had thought. Raion was moving about without her clothes because she wanted Sasuke to see. Hinata blushed at Raion's forwardness. Hinata stood up and said "I'm going to make some tea." She then turned to leave.

* * *

While Hinata was in the kitchen she heard what sounded like a cat meow. She didn't think anything of it and continued to brew the tea. When she returned carrying a tray with the tea kettle and 4 cups she was surprised to find Raion curled up in a ball next to Sasuke. But what really surprised her was that Sasuke was stroking her back like he wasn't even thinking about it. Hinata set the tray down then poured for everyone. She walked over and handed a cup to Tora before sitting down at the table. Sasuke took his cup and sipped at it. He smiled and said "It's good."

Hinata smiled back then said "I thought I heard a cat a few minutes ago." She then heard a meow come from Raion. Hinata just couldn't believe how Raion was acting and Sasuke didn't seem to think anything of it. After a while longer Sasuke quit petting Raion and rolled the scroll closed. He then really looked at Hinata and noticed which kimono she was wearing. Sasuke couldn't help but let a grin creep to his face.

He got up and said "I'm going to take a shower." He then walked of the room. Raion was right behind him but was stopped when Tora grabbed her braid.

Tora said "Not tonight."

Raion pleaded "But it's been a month since we've been with master. Why can't we have some fun?" Raion followed Tora's gaze to Hinata. Raion turned her attention back to Tora and continued "But the two of them aren't even lovers. I doubt she's even been naked in front of master." When Raion didn't hear any kind of response from Hinata she looked at her to see that Hinata looked sheepish. Raion grinned and said "So you have. Have you seen him yet?" Hinata shook her head fast still a bright red. Raion continued "You know you want to. And all you have to do is walk in while he's in the shower. And if you can't tell him that you'll wash his back for him all you have to say is that you needed to use the bathroom. Its easy. I'll show you." With that Raion made a break for the hall only to be pulled backwards landing on her butt by Tora. Raion grabbed at Tora's hands to try and free her grip. Hinata set the empty cups on the tray then picked it up and carried it to the kitchen. When she walked out of the kitchen she walked down the hall. She walked down the hall to her room but stopped outside the door. She looked down the hall to the door to the bathroom. She walked into her room and sat down on the bed. She decided to go to bed early so she untied the white obi and put it aside but she just couldn't get what Raion had said out of her mind. She then realized that she really did have to go to the bathroom. She walked down the hall and stopped outside the door. She thought about holding it but her hand slide the door open before she could stop herself. She looked up and saw Sasuke with his hands on the wall letting the water soak his head and back. Hinata stood there watching the water roll across Sasuke's body. She found out that he had a very toned body. He didn't have large muscles but they were well defined. She looked at his face a saw a forced calm in his expression. Her gaze was draw to his toned chest and then drawn further by his chiseled abs. As she followed the abs down her gaze was draw to his penis. She knew she was blushing because she could feel it. She tried looking elsewhere but kept glancing back. Eventually Sasuke said "Come in or leave but either way close the door." Hinata looked up to see that Sasuke hadn't moved and still had his eyes closed. Hinata stepped inside and closed the door. Her heart was pounding. This was the first time she had seen a guy naked. She was captivated but at the same time she felt what she was doing was wrong. Not only was she being rude but she was looking at Sasuke. She had had a crush on Naruto for so long that this felt like she was betraying him. She told herself that was it. That this was just to satisfy curiosity. She thought I like..like..like..why can't I even think it anymore. Why can't I even think that I like Naruto. She was starting to feel alone and without thinking she started walking towards Sasuke. She wasn't even aware she was moving she was so lost in thought. Because of this she failed to see the puddle of water on the floor and slipped. She fell forward and tried to regain her balance but she stumbled into the side of the tub and kept falling. She reached out to try and stop her fall. She succeeded in grabbing Sasuke who lost his balance and slide on the floor of the tub. He hit the tub floor on his back and opened his eyes to see Hinata's face right in front of him. She opened her eyes and stared back into Sasuke's. Neither of them even breathed.

* * *

Author's Notes

Ha ha. Cliffhanger.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

A Possible Future by Jason Corley

Chapter Fifteen

Hinata stared into Sasuke's eyes. When he didn't say or do anything she tried to get up but lost her footing and fell the rest of the way into the tub. She was now pressed up against Sasuke in the tub with her head next to his. She could feel warmth against her chest. It was an intoxicating feeling to the cooling water of the shower. The cool water sent a chill down her spine making her shiver once. This had the effect of wiggling up against Sasuke. Hinata was about to force herself to move but she didn't because she felt two arms encircle her and pull her close. She rubbed her cheek against the side of Sasuke's face. She could feel Sasuke's warm breath against her ear. This sent lightning through her body. She eventually became aware of something pressing against her leg which brought her back to her senses. She put her hands on the floor of the tub to either side of Sasuke's head and pushed herself up. Sasuke didn't restrict her movements but he kept his arms around her. She looked down at Sasuke who was looking up at her. What Hinata failed to notice was that in her fall and struggling he kimono had opened up since it was no longer tied closed by her obi that she had taken off. Sasuke moved his left hand from Hinata's back to her face and brushed the wet hair out of the way but left his hand against the side of her face. He gave a warm smile that Hinata couldn't help but return. Sasuke started to move his hand away but Hinata leaned her head sideways to keep his hand on her cheek. When Sasuke saw her reaction he brushed his thumb across her cheek. Because Hinata had pushed herself up with the intention of getting up, her balance was shaky. Her knees slid forward, dropping her tail, and pulling her up into a sitting position. In the sudden moment Sasuke grabbed with his right hand, stopping the movement of Hinata's kimono. I slide off her shoulders and was resting at her waist covering her lowers arms. Hinata could feel something pushing up against her between her legs. Sasuke was no longer looking at just Hinata's eyes but her. He watched how the water ran along her firm petite build. She blushed at how things had turned out. She felt a throb between he legs and closed her eyes at the sensations it was sending through her. She stayed tried to stay in that moment but it was interrupted when she felt the water stop. She opened her eyes to see that Sasuke's expression had changed. Using both hands he pulled her kimono back up over her shoulders and folded it closed. He sat up coming face to face with her. She was trying to figure out what happened. Things were just happening so fast. Sasuke put one arm around her and pulled her close. She wrapped her arms around him and then she felt herself rising. She let her feet find support and Sasuke pulled away from her. All she could do was let go. Sasuke stepped out of the tub and grabbed a towel. He wrapped it around his waist then grabbed his clothes and walked to the door. He put his hand to the door and opened it. He was about to walk out but stopped when Hinata squeaked out "Sasuke?"

He said "I don't want it to be an accident." then he closed the door behind him.

Hinata stared at the closed door and thought about what had happened. And then she remembered why she came. She stepped out of the tub and walked over to sit down on the toilet. When she was done she grabbed a towel and walked down the hall holding her kimono closed. When she entered her room she closed the door and removed her wet clothes. She toweled off and up on a dry pair of panties and her night shirt. She turned the lights off and climbed into bed. She buried her face into her pillow with embarrassment. She just wanted to go to sleep and never wake up.

* * *

Sasuke walked into the living room after he had dressed himself. He said "If you get hungry, find yourself something to eat around the house. I'm going to bed." With that Sasuke walked back to his room. Raion was on her feet and headed for the hall.

Tora grabbed her braid and said "Where do you think you are going?"

Raion cried "I just wanted to munch on something." Tora let go of Raion who disappeared down the hall. Tora got up and followed. She walked by the kitchen to see Raion's bare tail sticking out from behind the refrigerator door and that she had indeed pulled out stuff to make a sandwich. Tora shrugged and walked down the hall to her room. Tora knew that Sasuke would always welcome her and her sister but she could tell that Sasuke like Hinata and Tora didn't want to make things harder for them. Raion was doing a good job at that. Tora was surprised that Hinata hadn't reacted differently to Raion running around the house naked. Tora looked to the door but when she didn't see anything looked back to the window.

* * *

Sasuke was laying on his side in bed and felt something warm press up against his back. He knew it was Raion. He knew her body well and her sister's. But Tora would approach him differently. It was Raion because she was the one that could snake her way next to Sasuke. Raion nibbled at Sasuke's ear and he rolled over to face her. Raion kissed Sasuke fondly and when they parted she said with a pout "Tora hasn't let me get near you today."

Sasuke whispered "We aren't in Orochimaru's fort anymore. You're expected to be a bit more civil."

Raion pouted as she said "I only went around like this in master's wing. You said this is master's home, that wing was master's home so I figured it would be ok. And you didn't tell me to get dressed. You know I would have if you asked me to."

Sasuke whispered "I wanted you to feel comfortable here. I wanted this to feel like home for you. But I think you running around like you always do bothers Hinata."

Raion said seriously "You really like her don't you?" When Sasuke didn't answers she said "Come on master. You can admit it to me. I already know you do."

Sasuke closed his eyes and whispered "When I escaped with you and your sister, I was only leaving to get away from Orochimaru. I let the two of you go so that you could do as you liked. I didn't think that the two of you would follow me here." Before he could continue Raion kissed him deeply.

When she broke the kiss she said "I love master and master will always be master to me. Even if master loves another I want master to stay master. I think sis feels the same for master even if she doesn't show it."

Sasuke whispered as he stroked Raion's hair "I know that now." He kissed her lightly then whispered "I'll always stay your master." Raion couldn't contain her happiness. She wrapped her arms around Sasuke's neck and kissed him passionately. He held her close with one hand and rubbed up and down her back with the other. As they kissed Raion's hands glided down Sasuke's chest and she tugged lightly at the bottom of his shirt. He helped her get it off him followed by his shorts and under shorts. Raion kissed Sasuke and pressed her body up against Sasuke laying him on his back. Raion broke the kiss and moved to straddled Sasuke's hips. Sasuke had his hands on her hips and she could feel his penis pressing between her legs. She rose up some so that the tip of his head was pressed against her slit. She came down feeling Sasuke slide into her. She leaned forward to kiss him. As she leaned back Sasuke let his hands climb from her waist up to her breasts. He tweaked her nipples and felt them harden between his fingers. Raion let out a small moan and proceed to ride up and down on Sasuke.

* * *

Hinata opened her eyes when she thought she heard some one cry out. She strained to hear but didn't hear anything so she closed her eyes. Then she heard it again and opened her eyes as she sat up. She swung her leg out of bed and walked to her door. She opened it and listened. She didn't hear anything. She waited a moment then heard it again. She walked down the hall and stopped outside Sasuke's door. She put her ear to the door and listened. She could hear heavy breathing and muffled moans. Then she heard a girl cry out "Yes master!"

Hinata wanted to open the door and see what was going on. She put her hand to the door handle and went to open it but a hand stopped her. Hinata looked over to see Tora standing there. Tora leaned forward and whispered in Hinata's ear "You don't want to see what's going on. You're not ready. Since you and master Sasuke like each other, I tried to keep Raion away from him. I guess she got to him." Hinata let go of the door and let Tora lead her back to her room. Tora tucked Hinata in and said "My sister and I both know how you and master Sasuke feel about each other." Hinata pulled the covers up to cover he blush. Tora smiled and said "But you should know that Raion and I would do anything for master Sasuke. Even let him love another. But that person would have to understand what master Sasuke is to us. And what we are to master Sasuke."

Hinata asked "What's that?"

* * *

Orochimaru walked away leaving a beaten Sasuke lying on the ground. As Tora and Raion ran forward to help Sasuke he pushed himself onto his hand and knees. Tora and Raion knelt down next to him to check on him. When Tora reach out to him Sasuke knocked her hand away and stood up suddenly without there help. He stepped back from them and stared at them. Raion hid behind Tora. They both wore the black and white camo pants along with the collar associate with the sound. Raion had on a black close fitting shirt while Tora had a white one. Sasuke turned and staggered away towards his room. Tora followed along with Raion still hiding behind her. When they got to Sasuke's room he walked to the bathroom and pulled at his shirt. Tora reached out to help get Sasuke's clothes off but Sasuke jumped away and stared at them.

Tora said "Why won't you let us help you master Sasuke. We're not going to hurt you. We're your slaves."

Sasuke continued to stare at them when he spoke "I accepted you so you wouldn't be harmed by Orochimaru. And just because I let you hang around doesn't mean I need you." Sasuke went back to undressing himself. He then lowered himself into the bath to relax. Both Tora and Raion just watched as he didn't even bother to tell them what to do. This was the first time they had a master that did something for them out of kindness instead of for their owner.

Over the next two weeks they Tora and Raion watched as Sasuke pushed himself till he couldn't move but would move again anyway. And then would do little things for them without having them do anything. He would wash their clothes if he was doing his. He would bring back some of the better food for them. He would defend them from being picked on by some of the sound ninja that roamed the palace. One day Tora had pissed off a couple Genins. They grabbed her and Raion. The big one that had hold of Tora said "Just for that we're going to have our way with you." When Tora didn't flinch he continued "But first we're going to make you watch as we take your sister. Seeing her struggle in fear and not be able to do anything about it may get it though your head about what we're going to do to you." The big guy and the average looking Genin started laughing. Sasuke punched the smaller one away from Raion. Sasuke stepped between the two of them.

The smaller one said "You little shit. I'm going to kill you for that." Sasuke just stood there panting heavily. The smaller one continued "This won't even be a challenge. He can barely stand. I can see his knees shaking."

Sasuke said between breaths "Let..Tora..go. Or..I'll..kill you."

The two sound Genins laughed at Sasuke. The bigger one pulled out a kunai and ran it down the front of Tora's shirt exposing her small breasts. Tora screamed and the two sound Genins laughed. The bigger one reached for Tora's breast but his arm fell limp by his side. He released Tora and grabbed the back of his upper arm where he felt pain. He looked down and saw Sasuke standing right there. He reached down to his side to pull out a kunai but before he could pull in out Sasuke struck again. Sasuke now had his back to him. The bigger sound Genin grabbed at his throat with his one good hand but couldn't stop the blood from flowing out. The smaller sound Genin grabbed Raion and held a kunai to her neck. She screamed while Sasuke staggered forward. The smaller sound Genin said "Stay back or I'll kill her." Sasuke stopped and closed his eyes. When he opened them he had his Sharingan active. He moved in and slit the smaller sound Genin's throat. The sound Genin slid his kunai across flesh. Tora saw blood run down the front of Raion's shirt. She ran forward to help her sister. Sasuke pulled the sound ninja off Raion and Tora grabbed her and checked her neck. It wasn't bleeding. Tora checked over Raion more closely and didn't find a scratch. She looked to Sasuke and saw him propped against the wall. He was holding his arm and blood was streaming out from under his hand. Tora ran to Sasuke. She tore a piece of her now cut shirt off and wrapped it around Sasuke's arm. She pulled it up tight to stop the bleeding.

Tora said "Raion, stay here with master Sasuke while I go get help."

Raion approached Raion and timidly asked "Why did you do that. You could have stopped him without getting hurt if you..."

Sasuke cut her off by saying "I couldn't let him hurt you. I'm a ninja. It's my job to protect people like you. Even if I have to die to do so." Sasuke then passed out.

* * *

Tora told Hinata "After he put his life on the line for us, he truly became our master."

Hinata said "That explains what he his to the two of you but it doesn't explain what the two of you are to him."

Tora sighed then asked "Have you ever heard him in the night?"

Hinata nodded remembering several nights in the last couple weeks where she woke up to Sasuke screaming in terror.

Tora asked "Do you know why he has nightmares." Hinata shook her head then Tora continued "When he was small his brother killed every last member of master Sasuke's clan. His brother then tortured master Sasuke with some kind of technique that attacks the mind." Hinata's expression was filled with sorrow for Sasuke. She knew they had all been killed but she didn't know if was Sasuke's own brother.

Tora said "Sasuke said he had two goals. One, to kill his brother. And two, to restore his clan. And weather he wants to admit it or not, Raion and I can help him with his second goal."

After Tora left Hinata laid there thinking about what she had just been told.

* * *

Hinata awoke to Raion shaking her. Hinata sat up and looked around then said "What is it?"

Raion said "Time to get up."

Hinata looked at her window and said "The Sun isn't even up."

Raion said "But. You mean you don't cook for master." Hinata shook her head. "You like master don't you?" Hinata blushed slightly at the thought. "Then cook for master. Or I'll do it." Raion left Hinata looking somewhat confused. Hinata thought it was rude of her to do nothing when Sasuke was so generous to her. He gave her a home that she felt welcome in. He cooked every meal so far. He trained her almost all day. And what had she done for him, nothing. Hinata decided to change that. She swung her legs out of bed and walked to her wardrobe. She opened it, found that the blue kimono was dry and hanging up. She turned her head to where it had been the night before but it wasn't there. She looked back and decided she would wear it. It had become her favorite kimono.

When she entered the kitchen she found Raion had pulled out all the ingredients. Raion turned her head and smiled at seeing Hinata in the blue kimono. She stood up strait and asked "Are you going to cook?" Hinata nodded and approached the preparation area. Raion watched as Hinata began cooking. When the first rays of sunlight entered the room Raion ran out of the room. Hinata stared at the doorway wondering why she did that but then returned to cooking.

After a few minutes Sasuke walked into the kitchen with Raion clinging to his arm. Sasuke stopped and stared at what he saw before him. Hinata was up before him cooking breakfast. Hinata smiled and said "I decided I would cook breakfast for you for a change." Sasuke stood there silently. Hinata's smile began to waver.

Raion saw this and asked in a timid manner "Is master angry?"

Sasuke turned around and as he walked out replied "No."

Hinata's smile fell but resumed cooking. Raion smiled and said in a cheerful voice "Why are you so down? Master didn't start cooking himself. He's letting you cook for him." This didn't raise Hinata's spirits any.

When she was done she put everything on a tray and carried it out to the living room where she found Raion laying across Sasuke's lap, this time clothed while he read a scroll. When she set it down Sasuke rolled up the scroll and put it in his pocket. Hinata served the three of them then asked "Where's Tora?"

Raion sat up and said "She's around the manor. We've decided to take over tidying up the manor so master doesn't have to."

Something about what Raion said made Hinata think to ask "Sasuke, what happened to the purple snake that's been around here. The one that talks."

Raion brightened and said "Hebi's here? Master got him out also? Then that means that we all got away from Orochimaru. Where is Hebi? Why hasn't he said hi yet?"

Sasuke picked up his tea and sipped at it before saying "I think he likes to be left alone." Raion started pouting at this. Sasuke started eating his food which caused both Raion and Hinata to watch him. Sasuke paused to say "It's good." Hinata smiled at the sincerity in his voice. For the rest of the meal Hinata couldn't stop smiling.

When they finished Hinata placed the dishes on the tray and started to pick it up but Sasuke picked it up first. Before he walked down the hall he said "You cooked, so I'll clean the dishes." Hinata sat back down and looked over at Raion who was glaring at her.

Hinata asked "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Raion said annoyed "I know you and master like each other. That is the reason I'm not in there helping him because I am trying to give you the chance to spend time alone with master. But if you are going to waste it I'm going to join master." Raion got up and walked towards the hall. When Hinata didn't make a move to get up Raion sighed and marched over to Hinata. Raion grabbed Hinata by the upper arm and pulled her to her feet. Then started pushing her towards the kitchen. Raion gave Hinata one last shove which made her stumble into the kitchen. Sasuke turned to look at her then returned to washing the dishes. Hinata stood there for a moment then walked over to start drying the dishes that Sasuke had washed. They stood side by side while they worked. Neither of them said anything but they both felt a type of comfortable closeness.

When they finished Sasuke said "Go change. We resume training today." Nodded with a smile and followed Sasuke out of the room.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

A Possible Future by Jason Corley

Chapter Sixteen

Shikamaru woke to a knocking at his door. He got up and started walking towards the door when another series of knocks came. "Yeah yeah. I'm coming." Shikamaru said sleepily. He unlocked the door and opened it to find Temari standing there. She had a backpack on and a duffle bag by her side. Shikamaru was instantly awake. He smiled and said "won't you come in."

Temari smiled back and asked "Can you bring in my bag?"

The smile never leaving his face, Shikamaru said "How troublesome."

Temari stepped forward and kissed him. When she broke the kiss she quietly "Please."

Shikamaru's smile altered to somewhat devious then said "Only if you stay with me while you're here."

Temari held her arm off to the side and clutched at it when she said "Oww oww, you don't have to twist my arm." She then stood up strait and Shikamaru stepped out to grab her bag. Temari entered first followed by Shikamaru.

Once inside Shikamaru asked "What's in here? It's heavy."

Temari sat down on the bed and said "I couldn't leave my books."

Shikamaru gave her a somewhat questioning look and asked "How long are you going to be here?"

Temari grinned and said "As long as I can." She then scooted back on the bed and continued "Make sure the door's locked."

As Shikamaru walked to the door he said "Yeah yeah." He turned around to find that Temari had laid down on the bed with her arms stretched out over head. He smiled then walked to the bed and climbed on top of Temari. He kissed her and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

* * *

Hinata came in several minutes after Sasuke had. It was the second day after the second exam that she and Sasuke had been training. And it was more intense than it had been before the first exam. It was now just over two weeks. He told her she was faster but she never saw a difference in the speed. He was always that much faster than she was. Always guarding just in time and so fast forcing her to go 100 to barely block herself. She was never a big user of the replacement technique but he was forcing her to use it often. He was also forcing her to use the techniques she used before she lost her Byakugan. She didn't understand why he wanted her to expand on that when she couldn't see the tenketsu anymore. When she would ask he would tell her to trust him. She did trust him but she still wanted to know. Raion peaked her head around the corner and said "The bath is ready. Why don't you take one before dinner." Hinata nodded and walked down the hall to the bathroom. She did not see the grin on Raion's face. Hinata opened the door and saw a head sticking out of the water. Sasuke turned his head to see her standing there.

Hinata blushed and stuttered out "Ra..Raion said that the bath was ready. She..she said to take one. I..I'll go now." Hinata had the door half closed when she heard Sasuke speak.

"Wait." was what Sasuke said. Hinata stopped and waited to hear what Sasuke had to say. When she didn't hear him she opened the door back slowly. He was grabbing a towel from beside the tub and tossed it to her. She caught it and looked at it not knowing what was going on and looked to Sasuke for instructions. He said "You can wear that around you if you want to take a bath now." She looked down at the towel with a smile then looked back to Sasuke who now had his head turned away with his eyes closed. Hinata stepped in and closed the door. She unzipped her Jacket and placed it on the floor. She untied the draw sting on her pants and was about to slip them off but looked over at Sasuke. He still had his eyes closed. She let them fall around her ankles and stood up strait to peal her shirt off. She looked over at Sasuke again then turned away and blushed. She turned with her back to Sasuke to take her bra off and quickly wrapped the towel around her. She then slipped her panties off from under the towel. She walked over to the tub and blushed deeper. While she had a towel Sasuke did not and he didn't seem bothered by that. She stepped into the tub and sat down. She could already feel the warm water soothing her sore muscles. She sat there trying not to look below the surface of the water. She wasn't succeeding very well. In the weeks she had spent with Sasuke she had reaffirmed that she thought Sasuke was a kind person. He always came off as cold but he wasn't trying to be mean. In fact he always did things for her.

* * *

A week prior Sasuke and Hinata had decided to take another walk around the village together. Hinata had once again decided to wear the blue kimono with the Uchiha clan symbol. They started out taking the same path they had the previous times but at one corner Sasuke turned to go a different way. Hinata quickly followed and found that Sasuke had lead her to a shop specializing in kimonos. She looked to him wondering why they were there. She followed him in and the shop keeper asked how she could help them. Sasuke said "Hinata needs could use an couple more kimono's."

The shop keeper turned to Hinata and asked her what type she wanted. Hinata looked to Sasuke who wasn't standing there anymore. He had walked to window watching the streets. Hinata turned to the shop keeper and quietly said "I actually like this one. Could you make some more like it?"

The shop keeper nodded asked "How many would you like?"

Hinata turned to look at Sasuke who held up three fingers. She turned back to the shop keeper and said "I would like three please." The shop keeper nodded and asked Hinata to stand still while she took some measurements. When the shop keeper walked behind the counter to write down something she started nodding and talked in a conversation voice to herself. Hinata didn't quite hear because she was walking towards Sasuke. Hinata stood next to Sasuke looking out the window. A moment later the shop keeper walked up to them and told them the kimono's would be ready in a week and a half. Sasuke and Hinata walked out and continued on their walk.

* * *

Hinata remembered the memory fondly. She hadn't gotten the kimono's yet but it was Sasuke's idea and he was getting them for it. So it was a nice gesture. Hinata glanced at Sasuke who still had his eyes closed. Her thoughts returned to the past two weeks. The arrival of Raion and Tora defiantly added a twist to things. Hinata would often see the two of them striating up around Uchiha manor. Tora especially. She seemed to favor gardening over the others chores that she did. It was adding a nice look for all the plants to be trimmed. Raion was cooking most of the meals now and acted somewhat normal when she knew she was going to be around Hinata but if Hinata found her with Sasuke it was unusual indeed. It seemed that for some reason Raion enjoyed moving about naked. The one day that Sasuke wasn't there because he was meeting with his team, Raion still moved about the house naked. And often she would cook with only an apron on. Hinata was getting use to it because it seemed that was just the way Raion was. What Hinata was having a hard time getting use to was knowing that Raion would sneak into the bathroom while Sasuke was in there. Sasuke didn't seem to mind. Hinata didn't know if Raion was sneaking into Sasuke's room at night or not because she never heard anything else. Guessing at what happened that night between Sasuke and Raion was still bothering her. Hinata found it strange that Raion would let go from clinging to Sasuke whenever she looked like she was going to sit near Sasuke but if she was just passing by then Raion would stay where she was. It bothered her less now when she found Raion naked and clinging to Sasuke. That was just how Raion acted. A few times Hinata found Tora leaning against Sasuke's arm but would immediately sit up strait whenever she entered the room. Hinata said "Raion's been doing stuff like this a lot lately." She looked over at Sasuke and saw him open his eyes.

He replied with a grin "She really is just like a cat. Always getting into mischief."

Hinata giggled and said "Yeah. I've seen her digging through the cabinets. And the way she moves about."

Sasuke nodded then said "It amazes me at how silently she can move. And with such fluidity."

Hinata closed her eyes remembering Raion moving around on all fours, of course naked because that was how she acted. She also remembered some of the more specific example of Raion's mischief. Hinata would start to sit down at the table across from Sasuke but Raion would push her around the table to sit next to Sasuke. Raion would often time then sit on the other side of Sasuke. Raion would often tell her to take some tea to Sasuke. Raion did other little things of a similar nature. It was like she was pushing Hinata towards Sasuke. But Sasuke never indicated that he liked her. He just accepted her like he did Raion and Tora. He allowed Raion and Tora to do a lot. But then again he allowed her to do a lot. Like the current situation she was in. He didn't even seem to mind. Hinata started rubbing her shoulders sore from the days training. Hinata's thoughts were interrupted when Sasuke said "Turn around." She opened her eyes and looked at Sasuke. He was serious so she did. Hinata was surprised and crossed her arms across her chest when he pulled her close to him. He took his hands off of her hips and moved them to her shoulders. He then started massaging her shoulders. Hinata closed her eyes and lowered her arms relaxing. It felt heavenly to her. When Sasuke whispered in her ear "This would be easier without the towel." She opened the towel and pulled it off from around her to rest in her lap. Sasuke glided his hands across her back massaging the muscles. He ran his hands up her back, across the shoulders, and down her arms to start massaging them. The soreness in her arms evaporated away. When he moved his hands up her arms, along her shoulders, down her sides, and forward to her thighs she felt lightning run threw her entire body. As he massaged her thighs the sensation increased. He whispered into her ear "If you scoot back I can get to your calves." She slid back without hesitation till she felt Sasuke's body. Her breathing picked up at how close they were. Sasuke slid his hands down her legs to her calves and started massaged them. While Hinata enjoyed that she was still to preoccupied thinking about their closeness. As Sasuke moved his hands back up her legs she knew he was done and would push her away soon. When Hinata felt Sasuke's hands leaving her sides she reached back and grabbed his hands. He stopped moving and she pulled his arms around her waist. Sasuke didn't move his hands from where Hinata put them, in fact he didn't move at all. Hinata leaned back so her back was against his chest. Sasuke pulled her closer to him and she felt him rest his cheek on her head. Hinata was enjoying there closeness. She knew this was the feeling she longed for. In that moment her thoughts wandered to Naruto. Normally she would have pulled away from Sasuke if she thought about Naruto but this time was different. She thought about what it would be like if it was with Naruto. If it was Naruto it wouldn't happen. He was too immature. In that moment Hinata realized her feelings for Naruto for what they were. Just admiration to how hard he worked and feeling of closeness because of similarities between them. Those being not many friends and needing to work hard to accomplish what needed to be done instead of doing it easily. In that moment Hinata realized that she couldn't see herself with Naruto. She could only see herself as a friend to him. Hinata's thoughts drifted to Sasuke, the person holding her the way she wanted to be held. To her Sasuke had been a friend, a teacher, and a source of stability. As a child they had been friends even if only for a short time. Recently he had given her a home and a place she felt welcome. He had saved her life and supported her emotionally when she needed it. He had been her teacher, bettering her in the ways of the ninja. She pictured in her mind what life would be like with Sasuke. She picture them as being happy together. She could see them sharing moments like this one. Hinata moved her hand up to her shoulder and back till her hand touched Sasuke's chest. She then moved her hand up his chest and along his neck to come to rest on his cheek. He leaned his chin into her touch but still had his cheek to her head. Hinata leaned to the side some as she turned slightly so she could see Sasuke's face. She tilted her chin up and closed her eyes as she guided his face to hers. He kissed her lightly sending lightning through her. They parted from their first kiss with only a few inches parting them. They both opened there eyes and smiled at each other warmly. They kissed again and again it was light but it was enough. They parted again and Sasuke opened his mouth to speak but Hinata spoke first "I love you."

She then looked on nervously when Sasuke responded "If what I am feeling is love then I love you too." Hinata smiled and tilted her chin up to kiss Sasuke but he continued "But I need to tell you something first." Hinata reacquired a nervous expression. Sasuke explain "You should know that both Tora and Raion love me. And I them. I can't turn them away. Because...I'm their master." Hinata nodded understanding then turned away. She knew he would choose them. Sasuke placed his hand to her cheek and guided her to look him in the eyes then said "But I can't turn you away because I truly love you. I knew I liked you back when we were children. If it was anyone other than you I would turn them away because Raion and Tora. But even before I meet them I would have turned away anyone else because I liked you. I only accepted them because I didn't expect to come back." Tears formed in Hinata's eyes and they started to trickle out of the corners of her eyes and down her cheeks. She tilted her chin up and they kissed. This one was deeper than the others. As they kissed Hinata turned to face him more and slid her arms around his torso. Sasuke kept one hand at her waist and placed his other hand on her back. As he pulled her closer she pressed up against him leaning him backwards. Unfortunately they seemed to have forgot they were in a bathtub filled with water. They both slipped plunging them beneath the surface of the water. They both came up for air. Then they looked at each other and started laughing. Hinata leaned over and kissed Sasuke lightly before climbing out of the tub. She pulled a towel down and faced Sasuke as she dried off. They both smiled warmly to each other. Sasuke watched her letting his eyes wonder her body for the first time. Every other time he had been too focused to really appreciate the beauty of Hinata's naked body. She put on her kimono that she had brought in with her. When she finished tying her obi she walked over to him and leaned over for him to kiss her. When they parted Hinata smiled and walked out of the bathroom. Sasuke climbed out of the tub and stepped over to the shower head that was over a drain. He turned the water on cold. He shivered slightly but he needed it. He didn't want to drain the bath just to run some cold water over himself. This shower head was rarely used because it was harder to clean up the water than in the tub. He noticed that the only dry towel in there was the one Hinata had used. So he used it to dry off as well. He put on a clean pair of clothes before leaving the bathroom himself.

* * *

Raion had prepared dinner and the four of them sat at the table eating. Hinata and Raion were flanking Sasuke with Tora across from him. Raion kept a little extra distance noticing that Hinata was sitting closer to Sasuke than she usually did. Raion smiled to herself pleased that her plan had worked. She had been pushing Hinata at Sasuke every chance she got. She wasn't going to push Sasuke because he was her master.

* * *

Naruto and Sakura were having dinner with Kiba, Chouji, and Ino. Naruto and Kiba kept talking about who was going to win their fight. Chouji ate happily, oblivious to the world. Ino and Sakura we discussing everyone's love life. The topic of Shikamaru and Temari was avoided. When Sakura inquired about Ino and Chouji, Ino blushed and changed the subject to Sakura and Naruto. Sakura looked over at Naruto and punched strait down on top of his head. Kiba stared at had had transpired and Naruto whined "What did I do?"

Sakura replied "That was for two days ago." She then turned back to face Ino who giggled. Sakura said "And what are laughing at?" Ino waved her hand indicating it was nothing. The two of them discussed the rumors of their friends back from the academy which brought them to the rumors about Sasuke and Hinata. Kiba's attention left Naruto to Ino and Sakura.

Ino said "I've heard that the two of them are living together."

Sakura said "I heard that but I don't really believe it."

Ino said "What would you do if they were living together?"

Sakura said "Even as long as we were after Sasuke we never did learn where he lived."

Naruto said "I would see him around that deserted part of the village. I would see him enter and leave there."

Kiba said "You idiot, that's the Uchiha manor."

Chouji said "Shikamaru said he read a report saying that Sasuke and Hinata had been seen entering and exiting the Uchiha manor."

Sakura asked "Why would they have a report on that."

Chouji answered "Shikamaru said that there was a standing order to report on Sasuke's movements when he was outside his home."

Sakura asked "Why haven't we heard this?"

Chouji answered "Only Chuunin and higher were given the order."

Ino asked "Then why do you know?"

Chouji realized he had said too much "Shikamaru told me. But I wasn't suppose to tell anyone else."

Naruto said "Don't worry we won't tell anyone."

* * *

Shikamaru walked in and sat down on the bench to take off his footwear. He stood up and hung his Chuunin jacket on the coat hanger. He walked up behind Temari, who was cooking, and wrapped his arms around her waist. He kissed her on the cheek and said "That smells good."

Temari said "No matter how much sweet talking you do you aren't getting any till it's done. Now go shower."

Shikamaru stepped back from Temari and said "yeah yeah."

* * *

Neji was walking back from the main office after pulling a guard duty shift. He usually went on patrols but he had been pulling more and more guard duty shifts lately. He opened the gate to the Hyuuga manor and walked along a path leading to the house he stayed in. He could see Hiashi and Hanabi threw the window of the head house having dinner. Neji then thought about what Hiashi did to Hinata. He had done everything to push that from his mind. The idea of having his Byakugan sealed, scared him. He wondered what had become of his cousin.

* * *

Lee for his part was not that welcome in the country of sand but he didn't care that much because he didn't have that many friends back in the county of fire either. He trained everyday and the country of sand learned nothing from him other than his ability to perform taijutsu. The only one who showed any kind of interest in him was Gaara. Lee didn't know if this was a good or bad thing. He also felt he was being watched.

* * *

That night after Hinata had gone to sleep Raion creep into Sasuke's room and climbed under the covers. Sasuke felt her press up against him and nibble on his ear. He rolled over to face her and she kissed him. Raion parted Sasuke's lips with her exploring tongue. Sasuke fought her tongue with his own and after they parted Raion kissed him again quickly. When she broke that one she pressed against him and whispered in his ear "Master and Hinata are getting along well."

Sasuke nipped at Raion's ear then whispered "I'll have to thank you for that." Sasuke then kissed her and rolled her on her back. He broke the kiss then started kissing down along her neck to her one of her breasts. He put his mouth over her nipple and sucked on it gently. With is mouth still over it he used his tongue to flick it when he felt that it had hardened slightly he nibble on it gently. Raion let out a quiet moan and tweaked he other nipple. Sasuke then switch over to it electing a slightly louder moan from Raion. He then started kissing back up Raion's neck to her lips. He kissed her deeply. That was the start of a rather satisfying night for Raion.

* * *

Author's Notes

I had actually intended to drag out the building tension between Hinata and Sasuke till after the end of the Chuunin exam but it just seemed to fit here. Chuunin Exam finals probably end of chapter 17 and into chapter 18.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

A Possible Future by Jason Corley

Chapter Seventeen

Naruto picked himself up off the ground and looked at Jiraiya with annoyance. No matter how hard he tried the perverted hermit would finish the fight un-touched. The only time he ever felt he was coming close was when he was in his released state. Naruto stood there trying to think of a way to land just one good hit on the perverted hermit.

* * *

Sakura was breathing heavily as she stood facing Kakashi. Kakashi stood there reading his book waiting for Sakura to attack. Sakura moved in to try and take on Kakashi head on again. After training with Tsunade for two years she was very direct with her fights now. Kakashi dodged every last one of Sakura's attacks. Kakashi could tell that her strength had increased by a large amount but her speed had not. Kakashi was focusing on speed training for Sakura.

* * *

Hinata bounded after Sasuke as fast as she could. She knew that if she didn't try her hardest, Sasuke would know and would make her work harder. She saw Sasuke stop when he landed. She landed next to him and asked "Why'd we stop?"

Sasuke turned his head to the side and Hinata looked to see what he was looking at. It was the kimono shop they had visited earlier. Sasuke walked inside and Hinata followed. She shop keeper recognized them and went into the back to get the kimonos she had made for Hinata. She showed the three blue kimonos with the Uchiha symbol to Hinata for approval. Hinata approved of them and the shop keeper folded them neatly and put them in a bag for Hinata. Sasuke paid for the three kimonos and exchanged a few words with the shop keeper. Hinata couldn't hear what was being said and stood patiently for Sasuke to finish. Sasuke walked up to her and said "I'll carry those for you?" Hinata smiled and handed the bag to Sasuke. As soon as Hinata stepped out of the store after Sasuke, he leapt to the roof of the building and Hinata knew the training wasn't over for the day. Sasuke was going to work her hard today.

* * *

Neji was pulling guard duty so he wouldn't be on patrol when the finals of the Chuunin exam came up. He was curious as to how his cousin would do. He over heard Shikamaru telling Temari that Chouji had joined to for a team with Kiba and Hinata. He told Temari that Sasuke had helped him pass the first exam. And that their teams worked together to pass the second exam, making them one of the three teams to be in the finals. Neji considered his cousins abilities from about two months previous. He decided that she wouldn't make Chuunin, even if she still had her Byakugan. He then thought about what her own father had done to her. He really was afraid that Hiashi would use it on him next. He would have activated his own Byakugan had it not been for Hiashi's threat. He then considered the difference in Hanabi and Hinata's abilities. He figured that this was actually better for the clan. They had a stronger heir now.

* * *

Hinata did a spinning round house kick which not only missed but was done poorly throwing her off balance. Sasuke stepped forward to catch her and said "That's enough for today." He stood her up strait and started to let go but Hinata had linked her arms behind his neck. She looked him in the eyes and smiled. He smiled back and leaned his head forward. They kissed lightly and Sasuke started to lean his head back but Hinata stood up on her tip toes to kiss him again. As they kissed Hinata wrapped her arms closely behind Sasuke's neck and leaned against him. Sasuke pulled her closer to him holder her at the waist.

When they parted for air Hinata said "My legs feel like noodles." Sasuke smiled swept her off her feet holding her in his arms. She leaned into him knowing this was right. Hinata was slightly surprised that Sasuke was walking back instead of bounding back but she didn't care because that meant he would hold her longer. She closed her eyes and when she felt Sasuke kissing her, she leaned into it. Once they parted she opened her eyes to see that they were home and she was lying on the sofa. She realized she had fallen asleep.

Sasuke said "The bath's ready, if you want to take one."

Hinata looked Sasuke in the eyes then looked away blushing. She whispered to him "Do...do you want to join me." She stole a couple glances at Sasuke and saw he was grinning.

He leaned forward and kissed her then pulled back to whisper to her "I've already showered but I can still clean your back if you want." She blushed a deeper and nodded. As Sasuke stood up she sat up. He helped her to her feet and they stood there.

* * *

Since the night she had told Sasuke that she loved him they had only kissed a few times. The day after they didn't say anything to each other. They trained as usual and had dinner with Raion and Tora but they actually seemed father apart. The following day was similar but Sasuke had stopped before going inside the house after they had finished training. Hinata stopped in front of Sasuke and he leaned his head down to kiss her. When he did she kissed back. When they parted they smiled to each other warmly and laughed lightheartedly at how they had been acting.

* * *

Hinata was came out of her thoughts and glanced a couple times at Sasuke. She reached out her hand to grab his but stopped. As she was drawing back her hand Sasuke took hold of hers. She looked up to him a little surprised. He smiled and she smiled back. She looked away and started walking towards the bathroom. When they entered she said "I forgot my kimono."

She was about to leave but Sasuke said "I'll get it for you." She watched him walk out and close the door. She decided that she didn't mind being naked in the bath with Sasuke but she didn't think she could take her clothes off while he was watching. She quickly removed her cloths and tossed them in the laundry basket. She stepped into the tub and waited for Sasuke. Just a minute or two later Sasuke returned and set the kimono out for Hinata to put on once she had finished her bath. Sasuke slipped off his shirt setting it next to Hinata's kimono followed by both his shorts and under shorts. Hinata blushed and turned her gaze away. He climbed into the bath sitting down behind her. She sat there embarrassed that she had asked him to join her. Then she felt him start to massage her again. Her embarrassed thoughts vanished at the pleasure she was feeling from the massage. She felt Sasuke remove one hand from her and she opened her eyes. She saw him reach past her to grab her soap and washcloth. She then felt him start to clean her back. But he didn't stop there, he moved on to her arm which she held out for him to clean. Followed by the other. He moved on to cleaning her legs but when he was done he switched to cleaning her hair. She thought it felt great having someone else wash her hair. He leaned her back to dip her head into the water to get the shampoo off. When he stopped she wonder why and opened her eyes to see that Sasuke was blushing. She blushed herself but decided she didn't want him to stop, so she grabbed the soap and washcloth. A thought crossed her mind and she let the washcloth sink beside her. She tentatively took Sasuke's hand, putting the soap in it and then guiding his hand to her chest. He didn't hesitate, as he scooted forward he leaned Hinata into a sitting position. He lathered up his hands with the soap and let his hands glide along Hinata's body never letting his touch linger anywhere even thought both of them wanted him to. After he cleaned her abdomen and chest he stopped having only one spot left to clean. Hinata blushed realizing why he stopped but while she felt embarrassed at the thought she didn't want him to stop. She guided his hand down between her legs. He rubbed his hand all around her slit causing a sensation to build up in Hinata that she didn't want to stop. When Sasuke finished he started to draw his hand away but Hinata laid her hand on his and whispered "Don't stop." Sasuke leaned Hinata back so her back was against his chest and resumed running his fingers around her slit. He moved his other hand up along her side to her breast. He gently squeezed causing Hinata to moan quietly. He moved his hand to her other breast to draw out the same reaction. She then felt Sasuke slide the tip of his finger between her folds and start rubbing along the top. Her breathing steadily increased as her heart raced. She felt Sasuke kiss her behind the ear and then suck on her earlobe slightly. She felt like she was in heaven. A cry broke from her lips and she started to move her hips. As the sensation between her legs continued to build more and more cries of pleasure escaped her. She tensed and strained pressing against both Sasuke's chest with her back and his hand that still had a finger wiggling inside her. She relaxed as pure pleasure washed over her. Sasuke stopped his stimulation and wrapped his arms around her waist. She leaned into him more wanted to just stay there. After a few minutes she turned to kiss Sasuke. It was passionate and she ran her hands up Sasuke's chest to wrap them around his neck. She wanted, needed to be closer to Sasuke. She turned the rest of the way to face Sasuke face to face and slide one leg beside him then the other wrapping them around him. They pulled each close. Hinata could feel Sasuke's shaft pressing up against her. She wanted him and she was pretty sure he wanted her. She moved her hips back and felt the head of his penis press against her slit. She reached down with one hand and grasped his shaft. She felt it harden in her hand and moved wiggled the tip of his penis between her folds. She was about to push her hips forward when Sasuke whispered "What if you get pregnant." She paused to think but couldn't answer.

Sasuke whisper in her ear "We have time. We'll takes things slowly." Hinata felt Sasuke slip out from under her and let him go. She watched with a blank expression as Sasuke dried himself off. When he started putting his clothes on she got out to dry off. When she finished Sasuke held the kimono open for her to put on. As he helped her slip it on she felt that the material wasn't cotton. From the nice smooth feel she knew it was silk. She turned around with the kimono hanging open to face Sasuke. She looked up to him with a questioning expression. He said "I had it make for you. I was going to get one that had the sun on the back but you seem to like the fan so I had it put on there. I hope you like it."

Hinata pulled the kimono closed feeling the silk against her naked body and said "I love it." She flung her arms around Sasuke's waist hugging him closely.

He wrapped his arms around her and said "I'm glad."

* * *

That night Hinata tossed and turned trying to sleep. She couldn't get what Sasuke said out of her head. What if she got pregnant? How could she go on missions then. How could she be a ninja anymore. How could she do what she had trained her whole life to do. She had trained as the heir of the Hyuuga clan. She had trained to become the head of the Hyuuga clan. But now she had been disowned so it didn't matter. There was nothing she had to accomplish with her life. She was useless. She remembered that Sasuke said she will always have a home with the Uchiha. To her this was home. And to her Sasuke was the man she loved. And Sasuke did say he loved her. But he also said he loved Raion and Tora. Hinata rolled around in bed some more then got up. She was still wearing the silk kimono because it felt so good against her skin. She opened the door and stepped out into the hall. She saw Raion's bare tail heading towards Sasuke's room but the sound of the door made her look back. Raion stood up and faced Hinata. Hinata could easily guess what Raion was up to. Raion said "I thought you were asleep."

Hinata asked "And what if I was?"

Raion asked "What are you doing up? Going to see Sasuke yourself?" Raion started walking towards Hinata.

Hinata responded "I...I was..."

Raion stepped behind Hinata and started pushing her down the hall to Sasuke's door. When they stopped at the door Raion said "If you come out, I'm going in. And if you don't go in I'm not going to wait for you to go to sleep."

Hinata opened her mouth but no words came out. She stared at Raion staring at her. Eventually Hinata faced the door and slid the door open. She stepped in and slid the door closed. Raion stood outside the door waiting. Hinata saw Sasuke lying with his back to the door and she walked over to the bed. She stood beside the bed staring at him for a time trying to decide what to do. She turned and walked back to the door. She put her hand to the door and thought about what Raion said. Hinata didn't mind that Raion would sleep with Sasuke but at the same time she did. It wasn't so much because Sasuke and Raion were sleeping together it was because she and Sasuke weren't. But she didn't want to wake him up so she started to open the door and stopped. She looked back to the bed and thought that she could just sleep in the bed with him. She didn't have to talk to him. She turned back to the door thinking that it wouldn't be proper for them to sleep in the same bed. But it hadn't been proper what they had done earlier in the bathroom. She thought about what her family would say. She shook her head because what her family thought didn't matter anymore. She wasn't there family anymore. She didn't have a family. What if she got pregnant. She'd have a family then. But would Sasuke want that. What would Sasuke think if he found her in his bed. She slid the door open and stepped out.

Raion stepped up to her and whispered in her ear "What are you doing?"

Hinata whispered back "He's asleep."

Raion whispered "No he's not. And even if he was. You could just crawl into bed with him."

Hinata shook her head.

Raion whispered "Well, since you are being this way I'm going in. If you want to join us you can."

Raion bent down and entered on all fours. Hinata started to close the door but left it cracked and watched as Raion slipped under the covers. Raion snaked up against Sasuke and nibbled on his ear. She whispered in his ear "Master, Hinata wanted to talk to you. She's not like my sister and I. I know she loves master and that master loves her. If master wants her to sleep in his bed, master should ask her."

Sasuke said "Hinata."

Hinata replied "Yes."

Sasuke said "If you would like to sleep in here you may."

Hinata smiled and opened the door enough for her to step in the room. She closed the door and walked over to the bed. She saw Sasuke pat the bed beside him. She walked to the opposite side that Raion had climbed in at. Hinata slipped under the covers and laid there. She didn't know what to do and Sasuke wasn't doing anything. Raion knew Sasuke wasn't going to make a move so she nudged up against Sasuke pushing him slightly towards Hinata. Sasuke took the hint and moved closer to Hinata. When he got close Hinata rolled over to face him and buried her face against his chest. She said "I don't know" and started to cry. Sasuke pulled her close and heard Raion close the door on her way out. She didn't slam it or anything but because Sasuke heard the door close without using a special technique meant she was upset. Sasuke knew how to deal with Raion. But Hinata was a different story.

He whispered "What don't you know?"

Hinata said while crying "I don't know..what I would do if I got pregnant. I don't know..if I'd want to have a baby. I don't know..what I would do if I wasn't a ninja. I don't know..what to feel about you and Raion. I don't know..what I want to happen between us."

Sasuke listened carefully and said "I don't know about you but someday I'd like to have children. Just not now. And if I had a child I know Raion and Tora would be here to take care of them while I was doing missions. They wouldn't let anything happen. And I don't care about being a ninja, its just a way to live while learning what I need to know. I'd join the police force instead of going on missions if I had a child. And as far as Raion and I are concerned. She views herself as my slave and wouldn't be able to view herself as my equal. She's always going to be there. But she will place herself below whoever I take as my equal because she can not view herself as my equal. And at some point I would like to marry the person I love."

When Sasuke finished Hinata quit crying and lifted her head to look Sasuke in the eyes. She could see he was serious. She leaned forward and closed her eyes. Sasuke closed his eyes and kissed her. It was an affectionate kiss that they repeated several times before Hinata pressed up against Sasuke and he held her close.

* * *

The follow morning Sasuke snapped awake from the nightmare he was having. It was the same old nightmare he always had. He saw that while the sky was getting light the sun was still down but he didn't feel like going back to sleep. He didn't want to wake Hinata so he got out of bed wearing the clothes he was going to for the day. It was a blue shirt and white shorts. He slid the door opened then closed it after he stepped into the hall. He saw the light on to the kitchen so he walked down and looked in. He saw Raion cooking breakfast. She was wearing the black and white camo pants along with a black shirt that had a camo collar. When she saw Sasuke standing there she rushed over to him and hugged him. He hungered her back and whispered "Sorry about last night."

Raion stepped back and started cooking again when she said "It's ok. Master needed to talk to Hinata."

Sasuke stood there and watched Raion cook. Eventually she said "I don't understand why it bothers her for me to run around here without clothes. She's a girl. Tora doesn't mind. You don't mind."

Sasuke said "I'm a guy. Of course I'm not going to mind if you are running around here bare in front of Tora and Hinata. I'd care if we had a guest over, male or female. Also Tora is your twin. Other than the color of your hair, you have the same body. You are unmistakable but the two of you still have the same body."

Raion smiled and said "Of course you are the only one that is an expert to be able to say that."

Sasuke smiled and continued "Hinata is a girl yes but..." Sasuke was cut off by Raion.

Raion said "And of course you know you this as a fact."

Sasuke actually blushed slightly and continued "The point is she probably sees you as competition for me."

Raion looked puzzled and said "She's silly. That girl with the pink hair is more competition than I am."

Sasuke didn't comment on and instead asked "Why don't you like those clothes."

Raion continued cooking while she spoke "I don't like to wear clothes in private. But I don't like these at all because they are clothes for the country of sound."

Sasuke grinned knowing what would make her happy "If you dislike them that much then get rid of them."

Raion looked at him surprised and asked "But I thought you wanted me to wear clothes when Hinata was around."

Sasuke said "Well then I guess I'll have to get you a pair that you don't mind wearing. And you can just get rid of those."

Raion looked excited when she asked "Do I have to wait for the new pair?" Sasuke shook his head and Raion smiled brightly as she removed her clothes as quickly as possible. She bounded over to Sasuke and jumped at him wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thank you master."

Sasuke stroked her back and asked "What do you want to wear when you wear cloths."

Raion said "Whatever master likes. I'll wear a kimono or master's clothes or...or."

Sasuke asked "Master's clothes?"

Raion grinned and said "So master would like his slave to wear his clothes?"

Sasuke blushed slightly and said "I'll pick something out for you. Since I know your size so well."

Raion kissed Sasuke.

Tora said from behind Sasuke "Hinata will be upset if she sees you doing that?"

Raion broke the kiss and said "Come on. She's asleep. We've been back with master for almost 3 weeks now. You haven't been with him since we broke out. I don't think you've even kissed him once since we've been here."

Tora looked down and said "That's because Hinata..." She was cut off when Sasuke lifted her chin up and kissed her. Raion let go, to let her sister get the attention she's been denying herself. Tora wrapped her arms around Sasuke's neck and deepened the kiss. When she broke the kiss she licked her lips and said "It's felt like forever." Sasuke kissed her again and she was more than happy to receive it. When they parted Tora stepped back and said "Does Hinata know its not just Raion but me also."

Sasuke said "Yes and no."

* * *

Author's Notes.

Ok fine. Chuunin exam finals isn't at the end of this chapter, look for it in chapter 18 or 19. I didn't expect to write this much filler in this chapter. If you are confused as to why Hinata puts up with the twins as well as she does you might want to consider her mentality. It is similar to the twins but not the same. The twins have a slave mentality of they will do anything for there master. Hinata is very timid and unconfident. She wants for acceptance. She still has her own wants though. I hope this explains a little bit about why she isn't acting psycho about the twins.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

A Possible Future by Jason Corley

Chapter Eighteen

Hinata woke up to her ear being gently nibbled. She rolled over enough so she could kiss Sasuke. When they parted Sasuke said "If you want breakfast before the finals you need to get up." Hinata nodded and rolled away from Sasuke. They both got out of bed. Hinata found it interesting that Sasuke slept in the clothes he was going to wear the next day. She followed Sasuke out into the hall but while he walked down the hall she walked into her room to change. Hinata pulled off her sleep shirt then put on her blue shirt and pants. She looked at her jacket trying to decide if she was going to wear it or the one she had customized.

Sasuke and Tora were sitting at the table when Raion came out carrying a tray that had their breakfast on it. Sasuke asked "Why aren't you wearing the kimono I got for you?"

Raion said "I didn't want to get it dirty. And you said I didn't have to wear anything else if I didn't want to."

Sasuke sighed and looked at Tora who was wearing a solid red-orange kimono with the Uchiha symbol on the back. Hinata walked in and sat down next to Sasuke. They all ate their breakfast and when they finished Raion collected the dishes then took them to the kitchen. Sasuke stood up and headed towards the hall when he said "We should be leaving." Hinata got up to follow him along with Tora. The three of them were putting on there footwear with Raion came up wearing a yellow-orange kimono with a blue obi that matched Tora's. Sasuke stood up and waited for Raion to put on her footwear. When she had he opened the door and they all left to head for the arena where the finals were going to take place.

* * *

Temari zipped up Shikamaru's Chuunin jacket then pulled him to her by the jacket to kiss him. When she broke the kiss she said "Let's get going. We don't want to be later than we already will be."

Shikamaru said as they walked out the door "Who dragged who back into bed?"

Temari blushed slightly and said "You liked it as much as I did."

Shikamaru didn't respond.

* * *

Upon seeing that the Kabuto's team was already there and Kiba arrived with Chouji, Sakura was starting to wonder where her team was. It didn't matter if they were there or not since it didn't effect her but she wondered where they were.

* * *

Naruto woke up and found that he was going to be late. He jumped up and put his orange outfit on in hurry. He ran out of his apartment and down the streets towards the arena.

* * *

Tora nearly dragged Raion along to their seats since they wouldn't be able to follow Sasuke into the waiting area. Hinata stood very close to Sasuke and Kiba wasn't too happy about it. He looked back and forth between the two trying to figure out what was between them. Chouji snacked on a bag of chips while he looked down at the arena. Sakura was somewhat annoyed that Hinata was standing so close to Sasuke. She still had not decided between Naruto and Sasuke. She was with Naruto but she just couldn't get over Sasuke. Kabuto was standing there watching all of them through his glasses with his two teammates beside him. They both had black and white camo pants along with purple shirts that had the camo collar.

The first fight was announced by Genma "Chouji versus Yamabiko. Would both contestants please come down." Chouji and Yamabiko both walked down the stairs out into the middle of the arena. They squared off and Genma said "Begin."

Chouji started by using his classic move. He turned into a large ball and started spinning. He rolled towards his opponent ready to crush him. Yamabiko dodged so the side and formed several seals before hitting the ground with the palms of his hands. Chouji came out of his roll lying on his back. As Chouji started to pick himself up off the ground, Yamabiko ran over and kneed him in the chin. Chouji fell over backwards face up with his eyes closed. Yamabiko stepped back and let Genma check on Chouji. Genma determined that Chouji lost due to knock out. He waved over two medic-nin, who took Chouji away on a stretcher. Yamabiko walked back up the stairs to wait for the next round.

Genma announced "The second match will be Sakura versus Hinata. Would the two contestants please come down."

Hanabi said to her father "Sister's next. Is this why we came?"

Hiashi answered "Hinata's not your sister anymore. And no, she is not why we came. She will not put up much of a fight."

As Hinata and Sakura walked out into the arena Neji watched his once cousin carrying herself more confidently than she usually did. Neji wondered what she could be so confidant about. She was fighting the fifth's apprentice.

The whole audience started talking when they saw on the back of Hinata's jacket was the Uchiha clan symbol. Those sitting around Hiashi, Hanabi, and Neji all looked at them. Hiashi appeared slightly annoyed that Hinata was wearing the Uchiha clan symbol. But what people didn't know was that he was angry that she was in the Chuunin exam finals after he had disowned her. He knew there was a chance to survive the move he performed on her but he also knew that it was unlikely considering that it caused the blood in your body to boil. He wondered how she could have survived or if she had been given help.

Sakura and Hinata squared off and Sakura said "Anything you want to say before we fight." Hinata shook her head.

Before anything else could be said Genma said "Begin."

Sakura charged in to end the fight quickly. She threw a punch but Hinata wasn't their anymore. She felt herself get hit from behind but it didn't phase her so she turned to attack with a back fist. Again Hinata wasn't there to get hit. Sakura felt two hits from behind and retaliated with a back kick. When she didn't feel anything she turned and a punch connected with her face. Sakura tilted her head to lessen the blow and swung at Hinata. Hinata was gone like she had been for the previous attacks. Hinata was moving faster than either Tsunade or Kakashi. She didn't actually think Hinata was faster than them just that she was moving faster than they did when training her. How was she going to connect if Hinata could move that fast. Sakura felt a hit to her ribs. It wasn't anywhere close to the kind of hits Tsunade would land on her. Sakura decided she didn't have to defend against the attacks if they didn't do any damage to her. She decided to concentrate fully on attack. She moved after Hinata with the speed she gained from training with Kakashi but she still didn't seem to be anywhere close to Hinata's speed. It was annoying her that Hinata was that much faster. It was also annoying her that Hinata kept landing hits. All of a sudden Hinata quit attacking. Sakura looked around trying to find Hinata. Sakura heard movement behind her and turned to see Hinata running at her. Sakura charged forward and swung. This time Hinata didn't move. Sakura made sure she committed herself to this attack. Her fist passed right through Hinata and the image of her disappeared. Sakura realized it was an after image. But it had sound to it. An after image can't have sound to it. But it wasn't solid like a shadow clone or replica. It was merely an image. Sakura felt a hit to her ribs once again and turned to see two Hinata's running away. She knew to listen but she didn't hear a difference between them. She did notice that one wasn't kicking up dirt so she pulled out a kunai and threw it at the other one. She was surprised when a kunai appeared next to her throat. She reached up and grabbed Hinata's arm knowing that Hinata wouldn't kill her. Sakura leaned forward to toss Hinata over her shoulder. At the same time she reached down and grabbed Hinata's weapon pouch. She slammed Hinata into the ground and followed with a punch that connected with the ground instead of Hinata. Hinata stood away from Sakura and stared at her. Sakura turned to face Hinata then drew back and threw the pouch up into one of the empty waiting areas.

Tsunade smiled at this along with many of the Chuunins and Jounins since they knew that depriving the enemy of their weapons was a good point. It was a basic strategy but most didn't think to do it.

Sakura then pulled out a kunai and threw it at Hinata followed by one to either side of her. She was surprised when Hinata charged forward and knocked the kunai out her way with her hand. Sakura jumped back as she pulled out another kunai. She swung at Hinata with it but missed because Hinata ducked. Hinata used her index and middle fingers to poke Sakura under the arm she used to swing followed by a poke to the shoulder of the other arm. Sakura felt a shooting pain from both locations and tried to clutch both injuries but couldn't move either arm. She looked down at her shoulder and saw blood coming out of a wound. She looked back to Hinata who looked ready to start another attack. Sakura knew she couldn't win this fight. She couldn't win without her arms against someone who was that much faster with a move like that that. Sakura turned to Genma and said "I give up."

Genma motioned to Hinata when he said "Winner, Hinata."

Hiashi, Neji, and Hanabi all noticed that she attacked the same way as if she was using her Byakugan. Hiashi and Neji both knew it wasn't possible for her to use her Byakugan. Hanabi asked "Father, why did her attacks cause that girl to bleed?"

Hiashi thought about it then said "Because somehow she learned to make a cutting edge with her chakra."

Sakura walked away with the medic-nins so they could tend to her wounds. She would have done it herself but she didn't know how to heal her own wounds without her hands. Hinata returned to the waiting area and stood next to Sasuke. Kiba said "Hey Hinata, that was a good fight."

Hinata turned to him and said "Thank you." She then turned to Sasuke and asked "How did I do."

Sasuke responded "You shouldn't have let yourself get tossed like that." Hinata looked down at Sasuke's disapproval of the fight. Kiba was about tell Sasuke off when Sasuke jumped over the railing down into the arena after hearing his name called.

Kiba turned to Hinata and said "You did great." Hinata didn't seem to pay any attention to Kiba and instead watched Sasuke.

Hibiki, the other sound ninja, squared off against Sasuke. Hibiki started flexing his fingers as he mumbled to himself. Sasuke closed his eyes and opened them with his Sharingan active. Genma looked at the two of them and said "Begin."

Hibiki shoved his hands out in front of him and opened his mouth but no sound came out. Instead his vision became black and he fell over. Everyone in the audience stared at Sasuke who was standing behind Hibiki.

Shikamaru asked shocked "Temari, did you see that?"

Temari shook her head "No. Did you?"

Shikamaru said "Uh uh. That was fast."

Gai said "Sasuke's gotten quite fast."

Kakashi responded "He's almost as fast as us."

Shikamaru and Temari both turned to look at Kakashi since they both knew how good Jounins were.

Sasuke jumped up to the waiting area having finished his fight. Kiba just stared at him speechless but leapt down to the ground when his name was called along with Naruto's name but Naruto wasn't there.

Kiba said "I guess this means that I win since Naruto isn't here."

Genma called out once more "Uzamaki Naruto."

Naruto came running into the arena from ground level. "I'm here. I'm here. Don't disqualify me." He stopped running and stood there trying to catch his breath.

Genma said "Ok. Get ready." He paused a moment then said "Begin."

Kiba let his nails grow into claws and charged at Naruto. Naruto assumed a fighting stance but was surprised when he was hit from behind. He turned to look at what had hit him and it look like Kiba. Naruto was hit from the direction he was originally facing and was sent towards Kiba. He swung at Kiba but missed. When Naruto landed he turned to face Kiba and saw two Kiba's. Naruto couldn't believe he didn't notice that Akamaru wasn't with Kiba. The two Kiba's charged at him. Naruto knew they were melee fighters but so was he. Naruto used his shadow clone technique to out number Kiba. The Naruto's swarmed Kiba but it didn't seem to be doing any good since all Kiba and Akamaru had to do was land one solid hit on them. And Naruto's clones weren't that good at defense but then again neither was Naruto. The clones continued to attack in mass but Kiba and Akamaru were making short work of them. Naruto told his clones to stop attacking. They moved back and then they all started forming seals. Kiba and Akamaru continued to pick off clones. All the Narutos turned into Kiba. Kiba started laughing then said "We've all seen these moves before. Don't you have anything new."

Naruto didn't answer because while he had learned new moves he was told never to use them against a friend. This meant that he had to rely on his old moves. And as it turned out Naruto's clones were now fighting each other since they couldn't tell themselves apart from Kiba and Akamaru. Eventually it came down to just 3 Kibas. Two of which were Akamaru and Naruto. Kiba said "That's not going to work this time Naruto." Two Kibas instantly attacked that Kiba. He turned back into Naruto.

"You might have had a chance if you had kept your mouth shut." Kiba said to Naruto. Naruto's eyes had slight slits when he looked up. Kiba was slightly worried by this and swung down at Naruto. Naruto blocked and connected with Kiba. He didn't stop with just one hit though. He continued to attack until he could tell that Kiba went limp. Once that happened Akamaru changed back into himself and ran over to Kiba. Naruto stepped back knowing he had not shown anything worthy of becoming a Chuunin. But at least he would have another chance in the next match. When he didn't have to hold back. Naruto was declared the winner but he wasn't as happy has he had been the other times. He walked up the stairs to join the others.

Genma announced Yamabiko and Hinata. Yamabiko quickly went down into the arena. Hinata was about to follow but stopped when a hand was placed on her shoulder from behind. She turned and saw it was Sasuke. He leaned forward and whispered in her ear. She nodded understanding at what Sasuke was telling her. Hinata jumped down into the arena and approached the center where Genma and Yamabiko waited. When Genma said to begin Hinata immediately jumped up and back into the air. Simultaneously both she and Yamabiko started forming seals. Because Hinata had jumped so high it allowed them both a fair amount of time to form hand seals.

"This will be interesting" Kakashi said from beside Shikamaru and Temari

Shikamaru and Temari continued to watch the fight but Temari asked "Why?"

Gai decided to interrupt and try to look cool by explaining, "Each move that they are preparing for gets stronger with each set of seals. So whoever is quicker will win."

Shikamaru commented "I looks like Hinata is faster."

"She is living in the springtime of her life. She will not lose." Stated Gai out of nowhere.

Kakashi started talking which caused Gai's rambling to be ignored, "Even though Hinata is faster. She has only completed 4 sets while the sound ninja has completed 7."

"Then that means..." Temari trailed off as she could tell that both were about to make their moves.

Yamabiko slammed his palms to the ground and a path leading from him to where Hinata was going to land started to oscillate. When Hinata landed she landed with her palms down right as the location had become unstable. A small crater formed where Hinata landed but since Hinata had expected the ground to be higher she collapsed to the ground instead of landing properly. When she looked up she saw the result of her move and she could tell by the silence of the arena that everyone was surprised at what had happened.

"But I thought she was behind in performing her seals." Temari remarked

"She was. But the move she was performing was a counter to his. Being able to predict the move Yamabiko was going to perform and counter it shows great insight." Kakashi explained.

"But what happened?" Temari asked.

"Let me see if I can explain it. Because sound moves in waves, the attack is suppose to hit with the peak which will deal the most damaged to you. And because of the nature of the attack it will continue to hit you. But the counter that Hinata performed pushes down on the peak of the sound wave forcing it back the way it came. When that occurs the one who attacked first gets hit by their own wave. But the move that Hinata doesn't just reflect the attack. It also amplifies the wave and increases the frequency. In essence she doubled the strength of the attack and doubled number of times it would hit." Kakashi explained.

Shikamaru said "So if that is just from forming the set once then forming it multiple times would probably increase both the frequency and amplitude. And since the sound ninja performed his multiples times he just made it comeback at him that much stronger."

Kakashi nodded and looked down at the damaged that had been caused. A wide deep section of ground between Hinata and Yamabiko was in rubble with a larger amount around Yamabiko. Hinata heard Genma say "Winner, Hinata." Following this statement there was a cheer from the crowd. As Hinata walked towards the waiting area she saw two medic-nins coming out to get Yamabiko. She climbed the stairs and walked into the waiting area. When Hinata entered Naruto ran up to her and said "That was great. I didn't know you knew how to do something like that. That was amazing."

Hinata couldn't help but blush at this and replied shyly "Th..Thank you." She then approached Sasuke and stood next to him.

Naruto saw that Sasuke said something but couldn't hear what was said. All he could tell was that it made Hinata smile brighter and blush deeper. Naruto heard his name called and noticed before heading down into the arena that Hinata had moved right next to Sasuke and was now holding his arm. Naruto didn't know why but this made him angry. Naruto jumped down into the arena and when he looked up he saw that he was going to be fighting Kabuto.

* * *

Author's notes

I know I cut this one off a little short but I decided to go ahead and post this chapter. You might be able to tell where I stopped writing a couple months ago and what I typed tonight. I think my writing has a slightly different taste to it now than it did. I've just been busy with my classes. Because Calc 2 was kicking my butt before I wanted to make sure I got it this time. Its about mid-term and I have a B in the class. Last time I got an F. So, I feel much better about it. I also have a B in Circuits 2 so far this semester. I feel caught up instead of behind, so I may start writing more again. Sorry it took so long for me to get this chapter up. Hopefully it won't be too long before the next one is up. I do plan to continue this one. And if I do start to get tired of it, I will make sure to wrap it up and not leave it hanging.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

A Possible Future by Jason Corley

Chapter Nineteen

Naruto stood up strait and walked towards Kabuto. Naruto only spared a glance for a better look at what Hinata had done. Naruto stopped about 20 feet away from Kabuto and said "I'm going to enjoy kicking your ass." Kabuto merely smiled knowing there wasn't any point in talking. Once Genma said to begin Naruto started the fight by cloning himself. While the majority of his clones rushed forward he stood back with one and readied the resengan. Kabuto fought off the clones like they were nothing. Comparatively they were slow and he had no trouble landing clean hits. Kabuto saw Naruto charging forward with the resengan. He knew how bad it would hurt to get hit by that but didn't flinch. He stepped forward and grabbed Naruto's arm preventing him from connecting with it. Then slide a kunai into Naruto's abdomen angle up under the rib cage. Kabuto twisted the kunai and pulled it out stepping back away from Naruto.

Naruto thought to himself 'You stupid fox. Why won't you heal me now when I need it most. You do know that if you don't we're going to die?' Unlike most times Naruto had talked to the Kyuubi, this time the Kyuubi did not respond. Naruto opened his eyes and gazed at Genma with fear of dying etched on his face.

"The match is over. Winner Kabuto. Medic-nin, get over here." Genma commanded. The medic-nins ran over and put Naruto on the stretcher and quickly proceeded out of the arena with him. Kabuto smiled and looked up to the waiting area where he saw a horrified Hinata and unconcerned Sasuke. Genma announced that the next fight would be Sasuke vs. Kabuto.

Hinata clutched Sasuke's arm and said "Just forfeit."

Sasuke looked down at her and asked "Why would I do that?"

"I don't want you getting hurt." Replied a worried Hinata.

"If I forfeit you'll have to fight him." Argued Sasuke.

"I'll forfeit too." Hinata said without hesitation.

Sasuke sighed and gently pulled his arm away from Hinata. He jumped down into the arena before she could say or do anything. He walked forward and stopped two paces away from Kabuto. Genma looked at the two of them and when he was sure both were ready to fight he said "Begin."

Sasuke opened his eyes with his Sharingan active and more or less teleported behind Kabuto bringing his leg down for an axe kick to the back of Kabuto's head. It would have been a crippling move had Kabuto not dodged out of the way. Kabuto twisted aiming to plant a kunai into Sasuke like he had Naruto. Sasuke twisted his torso causing the kunai to cut the front of his shirt open and drawing a thin line of blood across his chest. Sasuke grabbed hold of Kabuto's outstretched arm and saw Kabuto bring his other hand down with a kunai in it but Sasuke grabbed that arm also. Now having hold of both of Kabuto's arms Sasuke pulled his legs up and planted a double kick into Kabuto's face. As he did this Sasuke let go with one hand and spun around to deal a spinning hook kick to Kabuto's head. Then let go with his other hand and came around with a roundhouse kick to Kabuto's head. Once his feet touched ground he pushed off, jumping back. He pulled out a handful of shurikens and started performing hand seals. He threw the shurikens to the ground around Kabuto. Kabuto was regaining his wits and saw Sasuke flying backwards away from him. Kabuto's eyes widened but before he could do anything a ball of flame erupted around him.

All the crowd save for the Jounins and a few Chuunins saw a flurry of moment followed by Sasuke jumping back as a fireball erupted around Kabuto. They then watched as Sasuke proceeded to perform a series of hand seals. To most everyone's surprise Kabuto shot from the burning ball of flame strait towards Sasuke. Kabuto landed a strong hit against Sasuke but he should have known something was wrong with Sasuke didn't attempt to dodge. As Kabuto's punch connected Sasuke's body appeared to be molding around it. The figure of Sasuke changed to what looked like clay enveloping Kabuto. The ball of flame dissipated into a thin layered sphere of fire around Sasuke. He performed a few more hand seals which turned the sphere of fire into a spiral directed at Kabuto's clay covered body. Once the spiral connected Sasuke grabbed the ends of the spiral and a blue spark ran the length of the spiral in an instant followed by the clay around Kabuto's body exploding.

This had been the best attack sequence Sasuke could think of to beat Kabuto. Sasuke knew that due to Kabuto's expertise as a medic-nin he could survive some very devastating attacks. Sasuke just wondered if he could survive this. When the smoked cleared he saw that Kabuto was crouched on the ground. His clothes where shredded and blood soaked. When he looked up he said "The only way you will ever beat me is to kill me."

Sasuke traced the cut down his chest with his finger then drew a pattern on his other hand with the blood. He then clutched his hand next to it and drew a sword from his other hand. Once he had the sword out he charged toward Kabuto ready to end his life. Sasuke noticed that Kabuto was purposely staying still so he pulled his attack but it was too late to stop it from hitting. The sword cut open Kabuto's side followed by him disappearing in a puff of smoke. Sasuke stood where he was, looking around the arena while clutching his side. Sasuke's side was slit open identically to the wound he had just inflicted on Kabuto.

Time passed as Sasuke stood there looking for any sign of Kabuto. Blood continued to pour out of the wound. Sasuke shoved the sword back into his hand and concentrated on stopping the bleeding. As the match wore on Sasuke weakened and he couldn't help but close his eyes. When they opened his Sharingan was not active. Sasuke looked to Genma and asked "Are you going to call the match or wait for one of us to pass out."

Genma considered this then had an expression as if he were examining someone no one could see. He then said "I am stopping the fight. Winner Kabuto." There was an uproar from the crowd since no one could see Kabuto. Kabuto came out of hiding and it was then apparent that while his side had been cut open also, he had spent the time repairing the damage. Sasuke started walking towards the medic-nins coming forward. When he meet the medic-nins he let them support him while he walked. Right before exiting the arena he heard Raion's voice clearly but it didn't sound like she was yelling "Where are they taking master?" Sasuke then remember that Hinata would be facing Kabuto. Sasuke motioned a couple times then started speaking. The medic-nins thought he was hallucinating but he was actually talking to Hinata. Hinata had been on the receiving end of this technique before so while still surprised she wasn't confused when she heard Sasuke speaking "You can win. Kabuto is at his limit. If he had had anything left he would have attacked. Believe in yourself." Hinata nodded to Sasuke's continued instructions as she walked down the stairs to the arena. Sasuke stopped talking and Hinata proceeded to the center of the arena with her hands in her pockets. Kabuto and Hinata squared off and Genma told them to begin. Kabuto started taking small steps toward Hinata not wanting to be on the receiving in of another counter. He wanted to take this fight slow. Hinata moved in a wide circle. A few minutes later the crowd was getting restless but Hinata had finally completed her circle. She pulled her hands out of her pockets and formed a few hand seals. A pitch black sphere the size of the circle appeared but faded leaving a sleeping Kabuto inside the circle.

"Winner, Hinata." Genma announced.

Hinata looked around unable to believe that she had just won in the Chuunin exam finals. Granted she probably wouldn't have had it not been for Sasuke telling her what to do. But still, here she was, the last one standing.

"You did very well." Genma quietly said to Hinata.

"Thank you." Replied Hinata. She then looked around then asked "What do I do now?"

Genma continued in the same quiet tone so as not to be heard "Well, normally I would have already been informed whether you'll be promoted or not. But because the fifth is Tsunade the decision comes slower. If you're going to be promoted she will come down her and promote you herself. But if she doesn't decided soon I'll escort you out of the arena. And then later you may or may not be promoted."

Hearing Genma's words didn't help Hinata's nervousness. She looked around for any signs of what to do next. Hinata could tell that the crowd was getting restless. She wanted to run out of the arena as fast as she could. She wanted to find Sasuke. She took one step towards the exit Sasuke left through.

Genma eyed her and wondered what she was thinking. She took another step forward and another which progressed into her walking towards the exit. She heard Genma's voice "Wait." Hinata turned around and saw Tsunade walking towards the center of the arena. Hinata not knowing what to do stood where she was. She then saw Genma motion for her to meet them so she walked to meet Tsunade in the center of the arena.

Tsunade stated in an authoritative tone "Hinata, during these matches you have displayed characteristics of a level above the rank of Genin. I am proud to bestow upon you the rank of Chuunin." Kurenai then stepped forward with a Chuunin Jacket in hand and walked around behind Hinata. Kurenai whispered into Hinata's ear. Hinata stuck her arms out behind her and Kurenai put the Chuunin jacket on her. Kurenai then stepped back behind the Hokage. Hinata then felt the right thing for her to do in this position was bow. When she stood up strait she felt a sense of pride in her. Tsunade turned around and walked away followed by those she entered with. Genma then said "This concludes the Chuunin exam." Genma then turned to Hinata and said "Congratulations. If you'd like me to show you the way out then follow me." Genma walked off and Hinata followed.

* * *

The following day Tsunade was reading over a scroll when she heard Sakura say "I still can't believe Hinata was promoted to Chuunin."

Tsunade didn't stop reading and said in an uninterested tone "She beat you, but you were still promoted to Chuunin. Don't be such a sore loser. I don't think anyone expected her to do as well as she did." Hinata didn't respond so Tsunade continued "When Kurenai told me that she had not been training her, I was bit surprised. Hinata must have found a good teacher. I wonder who it was."

Sakura said in a downcast tone "I think it was Sasuke." Tsunade stopped reading and looked up with a slightly annoyed expression at hearing this.

* * *

From outside a diner Ino's voice can be heard yelling "Chouji, that was my piece!" Inside the dinner one would see Ino shaking Chouji violently by the collar. Kiba and Shikamaru laughed at the sight. Hinata smiled at everyone's mirth, even Chouji who while was being shaking so forcefully still had a smile on his face. "What are the two of you laughing at." Ino nearly yelled.

"Nothing." Shikamaru said while Kiba answered with "The two of you. It just fits perfectly that you would be arguing over food."

"What are you implying?" Ino said with an icy tone to her voice.

Before Kiba could put his foot in his mouth, Shikamaru said "Lets not fight. This is suppose to be a celebration of Hinata's promotion to Chuunin." Everyone then looked over at Hinata who was wearing Konoha's standard uniform of a blue jump suit and Chuunin jacket. It looked much more professional than Shikamaru wearing his jacket over his normal everyday clothes. Hinata was a little embarrassed at all the attention but was starting to get use to the looks she got as a Chuunin.

"It's too bad she was the only one on your team to make Chuunin." Ino said trying to get back at Kiba and be motivating to Chouji.

"At least we tried which is more than you did." Kiba said in exchange.

Ino not having a good argument replied with "So, how was getting you ass handed to you by Naruto again?"

"Shut up. All he does is clone himself and mass against you." Kiba argued.

"And that is exactly why he's never promoted to Chuunin. But even that was enough to beat you." Ino insulted.

Kiba didn't say anything to this. He just sat there. Ino leaned back with a smug expression. Hinata looked around the table and wondered how they had all been having a good time just a few moments ago.

* * *

"Not so tough are you? Kabuto was able to beat you also." Naruto quipped. Sasuke for his part didn't say anything. He knew that arguing with Naruto was pointless. He was so dense. Sasuke thought back to his fight with Kabuto. When he was charging at Kabuto with the sword he had been so focused on winning that he failed to take notice of the hand seals that Kabuto was forming. But now that he remembered it he was able to add it to his arsenal of techniques. Even though he didn't know how the move worked he assumed that it would inflict on the attacker what was done to the defender. He then wondered if you had to take the damage also or if the move just drained a lot of chakra. He didn't think that Kabuto would just let himself be killed. Sasuke decided that the move while it would probably keep you from taking damage would probably deplete you of chakra. "Hey Sasuke! Are you listening?" Naruto questioned. Hearing Naruto's voice brought Sasuke back to his current surroundings.

"What?" Sasuke asked turning his head to look Naruto who was lying in the hospital bed next to his.

"What are you going to do now that you are Chuunin?" Naruto asked again.

Sasuke looked down at the foot of his bed to the Chuunin Jacket that was lying there. He hadn't considered that. He had always been focusing on becoming stronger to defeat his brother. He hadn't considered what he would do with the strength he had gained past that. He answered with "It's just a stepping stone to becoming a member of ANBU."

Naruto looked at him and asked "Why do you want to become an ANBU member? Why don't you just say you're going to become the Hokage? You never will of course because I'm going to be the Hokage."

Sasuke didn't feel like explaining it to Naruto, so he rolled over and closed his eyes. He was glad that the wound was on his right side instead of his left. That way he could rollover onto his left. Naruto stopped talking and wondered when he was going to be released. The wound in his abdomen was almost completely healed. He assumed it was thanks not only to the Kyuubi but also to Shizune's skill as a medic-nin. Naruto considered the wound that Sasuke had. It was much worse than his own.

"Hey Sasuke." Naruto said but when Sasuke didn't answer he said "If you are so much better? Then why are you always getting hurt so bad? I get hurt too but I'm always out in just a few days. But you are always in here at least a week if not longer." Naruto was surprised when Sasuke still didn't say anything.

* * *

"Master's been here two days. Why can't we see him?" Raion questioned the receptionist.

The receptionist answered "Doctor's orders." Raion started pouting and turned to her sister. Tora embraced her sister before she broke down in tears. She remember how upset Raion was when Sasuke was wounded. Tora lead Raion out of the hospital and back home.

* * *

In the middle of the night Raion was prowling around the kitchen in search of a midnight snack. When her appetite was sated she proceeded back down the hall towards her and her sister's room but as she was reaching for the door she heard crying coming from down the hall. She pattered down the hall on all fours and put her head to the door to Sasuke's room. She heard crying coming from within. From the sound of it, it was Hinata. Raion slid the door open silently and closed it the same way once she was in followed by her creeping over to Hinata. Raion peeked up over the edge of the bed and in the dark saw that Hinata was holding one of Sasuke's shirts as she wept. Raion thought that Hinata didn't care about Sasuke because she had not seemed at all bothered by the fact of Sasuke's injury. Raion was now seeing that her original views of how Hinata felt about Sasuke were confirmed, that she did in fact care deeply for him. Raion crawled into the bed with Hinata and embraced her. Hinata was surprised at first and nearly cut off her sobs but something about Raion made her feel safe. This allowed Hinata to open up once more and pour her feelings into her tears. Raion couldn't hold back her own feeling and started crying herself.

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked of Sakura.

"I'm here to check up on you?" Sakura said with a smile.

"How'd you get let in here?" Sasuke questioned.

Sakura smiled and said "I'm your doctor today." Sasuke looked to her with surprise but didn't say anything. Sakura put down her clip board and lead forward grabbing the bottom of Sasuke's shirt "Now lets get your shirt off and have a look at the wound."

Sasuke kept Sakura from being able to lift it and said "Can't someone else look at it?"

Sakura looked Sasuke strait in the eyes and said "Come on Sasuke. Don't give me a hard time. Just cooperate since I'm being graded today."

Sasuke considered this and lifted his shirt off.

Sakura smiled and said "I didn't mean you had to take off your shirt. I just needed to lift it to see the wound. You're so forward."

Sasuke turned a little red and looked away then said "It would have just gotten in the way. This was easier."

Sakura started removing the bandages from around Sasuke's waist. When she came to the last layer she slowly pealed it off the scabbed over skin. She ran her hands over the wound gently. Sasuke asked "Do you know what you're doing?"

Sakura replied "You are quite different from a fish but I think I can manage."

Sasuke didn't look reassured.

* * *

"Another bowl of ramen!" Naruto ordered.

Iruka looked at his once student and said "Just because you didn't make Chuunin this time doesn't mean you have to get upset."

Naruto stopped eating just long enough to say "If the pervert hermit had not made me promise not to use my full power I would have won."

Iruka sighed then said "If you learn from this time and start using your head a little more you'll make Chuunin."

Naruto put down the empty bowl and said "Even if I never make it Chuunin I will still become the Hokage using my way of the Ninja." Naruto then started in on the bowl of ramen that was placed in front of him.

* * *

Neji was once again helping Hanabi train. Even though he had thought Hinata couldn't possibly do anything now that her Byakugan was gone. He saw that she could be very formidable. But even with as strong as she was now she would never be what Hanabi will be. He would see to that himself.

* * *

"It really is nice here." Stated Temari as the wind blew through her hair while she and Shikamaru stood watch on the parapets around the village. She didn't hear Shikamaru say anything or even look back at him but she could just picture him nodding in agreement. At least that is the feeling she got. Even though they hadn't been together long she felt that they were able to communicate to some extent just by sensing the atmosphere. She looked down at the forest and watched as Kiba took his dog for what he called a walk.

* * *

Author's Notes

Well, I got that one out somewhat quicker than I thought. I wouldn't expect them to continue to come this fast but they might. I know that many of you hate the twins but now that they are here I don't see a way to get rid of them. Now, I'm just trying to minimize there part in the story. That doesn't mean it will happen but I am at least taking into consideration that people don't like them. And if anyone suggests that I kill them off, I may happen to make it a point to include them more.


	20. Chapter Twenty

A Possible Future by Jason Corley

Chapter Twenty

Tsunade was sitting at her desk looking over a scroll when in came Sakura. Tsunade didn't even bother looking up. She knew that Sakura didn't really like working at the hospital that much right now because she wanted to learn more. But Sakura needed real experience not just training. She couldn't progress much further without refining the skills she already had. Tsunade was ready to explain this too her again but she was surprised when Sakura asked "Why won't you heal Sasuke? You'll take time out of your day to help with the others that have been critically wounded. So, why won't you help Sasuke? He's been there two weeks already. If you helped him he would be out tomorrow."

Tsunade's expression changed from that of surprised to that of annoyance. "I don't always have time to spare to go to the hospital. I help those that I can. But the rest of the staff there can take care of him. His life isn't in any danger."

"But..." Sakura started but was cut off by Tsunade saying "I don't want to hear it. If you are so concerned and have so much time to waste then you could be over there working on him."

* * *

Hinata looked into the village from atop the parapet. She looked in the direction of the hospital and wondered how much longer Sasuke would be there. For some reason visitors still were not allowed to see him. She assumed at his request but it bothered her that even she wasn't allowed to him. She knew she was where she was now because of him. Even if he didn't think highly of her, he still trained her for all that time. She never knew someone that was willing to train her that much. He gave her a home and even though he wasn't very good at it he still made her feel welcome. If it weren't for him she wouldn't be a Chuunin. She thought about what it meant to her to be a Chuunin. When she was younger she didn't really care about being a ninja. She was pushed into it because she was the heir of her clan. She did her best but she wasn't that good. Just like Naruto. But then she graduated the academy and became a Genin. She was happy because she thought then that her father would accept her but that wasn't the case. She still wasn't good enough. So she wanted to make Chuunin so her father and the rest of her family would accept her. But now she didn't care what they thought. So what good was being a Chuunin to her. She did like the jobs that a Chuunin does better than those that a Genin does but she still didn't know what she wanted to do. She wasn't even able to speak to Sasuke to see what he thought. She so wanted to see him. She wanted to be held by him again. She didn't even know if he was ok. She knew that Raion spent most of her days pestering the receptionist at the hospital. She knew that Tora only half held Raion back instead of stopping her like she usually did. That was how Hinata knew that Tora wanted to see Sasuke also. Hinata didn't like going on missions and thus hadn't signed up to go on any. She would always just pull guard duty. Sometimes she would go on patrol but that was rare for her. Hinata looked back to the forest around the village and saw Tenten walking back in from a mission. She wondered how long it would be before she made Jounin. She really did seem to like going on missions. Hinata knew that Neji was aiming to be a Jounin along with Lee. She knew that the three of them would make it. They were all good. She considered the rest of her class. Chouji, unlikely to make Chuunin but he did try hard. In the future he would probably make Chuunin. Kiba, would eventually make Chuunin since he was very skilled but a bit hot headed just like Naruto. She was sure that Naruto would also make Chuunin some day. She wanted to believe that he would eventually achieve his goal of being the hokage. Hinata knew that Naruto was training just as hard as ever. She watched him leave and return to the village each day. He often looked tired when returning. She also knew that Kiba would train while walking Akamaru which he did daily. She missed those days of training with Kiba and Shino. She thought about Shino and how she rarely saw him anymore. He seemed to like the night patrol. He seemed to be doing well as a Chuunin. He would probably make Jounin before too long. Shikamaru would pull guard duty most days and some days walk patrol. She would often times see him with Temari. Rumor had it they had been together for a while now and that they got along really well. She was glad for them. Even though she didn't think Shikamaru would advance to Jounin he could since he had advanced to Chuunin before the rest of them. She was pretty sure Temari would make Jounin. She was so strong. And she was smart. Hinata assumed that is why she and Shikamaru got along so well. She thought about herself and Sasuke. While Sasuke had told her that he loved her she also remember that he said that he also loved Raion and Tora. She couldn't help but feel jealous about that. She wondered if he also had feelings for all the girls that followed him. She remember that every girl liked him but two specifically. Ino and Sakura. Hinata thought that like most of the others Ino had given up on Sasuke. Ino seemed to have moved on. Rumor had it she was Chouji's boyfriend and that she had spent the night at his place a few times. Sakura on the other hand was dating Naruto but appeared to still be pursuing Sasuke. Hinata wasn't really that concerned about Ino or the others. She was only concerned about Sakura, Raion, and Tora. Even though she should be concerned most about Raion and Tora, she wasn't. She was more concerned about Sakura. She didn't want Sakura to have Sasuke. If someone else was going to get Sasuke she wanted it to be Raion or Tora. Hinata had also heard rumors about her and Sasuke. Whenever she heard them she would blush knowing what others thought they were doing. Hinata found many of the techniques Sasuke taught her useful. She sometimes wondered why she was able to learn so much so fast.

* * *

Lee once again found himself on the receiving end of Gaara's sand. He continued to strike but his attacks were still repelled by the sand. Lee considered taking the weights off again but he was determined to hit Gaara while still wearing the weights. And if he couldn't he would do 500 laps around the village of sand. Gaara just stood there looking bored. He had agreed to spare with Lee since no one else wanted to. Gaara felt a certain amount of respect for Lee's ability but it wasn't enough unless he went all out. Gaara considered killing him but that wouldn't be good for the treaty with Konoha. Even though he was still a Genin, a Chuunin wasn't able to defeat him.

* * *

Hanabi was looking at the grave marker next to her mother's "Neji, why does this say that sister died? She didn't die. She's a Chuunin."

Neji responded with "Hinata is no longer your sister. She is no longer with our clan. So as far as the clan is concerned she is dead."

Hanabi didn't understand so she asked "But whenever anyone else leaves the clan a marker isn't put up saying their dead."

Neji replied "That's because they are marrying into another clan. But they are still family. So they are still part of the clan."

Hanabi still didn't understand but didn't ask anymore questions.

* * *

"Why can't I use any of these techniques in the Chuunin exam? I'll never be able to show how much I've learned if I'm not allowed to do it! And that means I'll never make Chuunin!" Naruto yelled at Jiraiya.

Jiraiya commented "Then don't charge in."

Naruto screamed back "But that is my way of the Ninja."

Jiraiya stated "Then learn to control the Kyuubi."

Naruto argued "I already know how to control it."

Jiraiya calmly asked "Then why didn't you use its healing powers in your fight with Kabuto?"

Naruto was silent as he remembered trying to but not being able to.

* * *

Sakura walked into Sasuke's room and said with a smile "Time for your daily treatment." Sasuke took off his shirt and started removing the bandage wrappings himself. Sakura placed her hands over his wound then concentrated. After about an hour of working at straitening out Sasuke's side she stopped tired from the work. When she looked up she saw that Sasuke had his Sharingan activated. This unnerved her a little. But then he blinked and it wasn't active. Sakura said "You probably don't need the bandages anymore. It shouldn't be too long before you are out. It's just taking awhile to make sure everything is done right. It really does make a mess when you rush to make sure its working. You then have to go back and clean up the mess. Its kinda like a tare in a blanket. To get it back in working condition you sow it back together simply so that it will still work properly. But if you want it back the way it was or close to it you have to spend a lot of time mending it along with removing the simple solution."

Sasuke asked "So, technically I'm fine?"

Sakura didn't want to answer but did "Yes, but it's best if you stay and let us finish mending you."

Sasuke nodded.

* * *

Naruto focused inward trying to solve his problem. 'Ok, Kyuubi. I know you're here. You can't go anywhere.' Naruto received no response, so he continued 'Hey I'm talking to you. Show your ugly face. I want to know why you didn't help me. We could have died.'

Naruto saw a large eye appear as the Kyuubi responded 'I am not yours to command.'

Naruto in an irritated tone said 'But you are in my body. I thought we had an agreement. That you were going to let me use your power as rent for being in my body.'

The Kyuubi laughed then said 'If you just let me out, I wouldn't be in your body.'

Since this was Naruto's mind, his thoughts were not kept quiet. 'Let you out? But then you would destroy everything. And I wouldn't get to use your power.'

The Kyuubi laughed and replied 'That is why, I won't help you. You want to keep me prisoner here but you want the power yourself.'

Naruto yelled 'I can't just let you out. A lot of people died to put you in me. And even if I was willing to let you out I can't.'

The Kyuubi responded 'But its easy. All you have to do it unlock this gate.'

Naruto asked 'How would I do that? Someone else sealed you in me. And he's dead.'

The Kyuubi laughed as he said 'Who said he's dead?'

Naruto looked at the Kyuubi with a confused expression then asked 'But I thought the 4th gave his life to seal you inside me?'

The Kyuubi asked 'Would you say that I am dead?' Naruto looked thoughtful but didn't respond so the Kyuubi continued 'He's about as dead as I.'

Naruto's expression changed to excitement and said 'so that means he's in here too?' The Kyuubi smiled but didn't say anything. Naruto demanded 'Tell me where he is.'

The Kyuubi struck the gate with its claw making Naruto jump back and roared at him 'You do not command me.'

Naruto wasn't going to back down 'Tell me where he is.'

'Or what? You have nothing to offer that I want.' Stated the Kyuubi.

Naruto pushed on 'You're in my body. You have to do what I say. Tell me where he is.'

The Kyuubi's expression changed somewhat but Naruto couldn't read it. 'You've come to take the Kyuubi's power for granted.' Naruto then noticed a change around him. The red mist was no longer seeping from the gate like it had. Naruto felt weak all of a sudden. Naruto then heard the Kyuubi laughing again 'Don't bother again until you understand the situation.'

Naruto suddenly opened his eyes and fell backwards from his sitting position. He was lying on the ground breathing heavily. He felt exhausted. He didn't remember a time when he felt this exhausted.

* * *

Once Hinata's replacement arrived for guard duty she was finally able to head home. Her replacement was 3 hours late but she couldn't leave because that would leave the section unguarded. And it was more crucial at night. Hinata's feet brought her before the hospital. Most of the lights were off but the main hall was still lit. She walked in and the receptionist told her before she could ask that she wasn't allowed to see Sasuke. Hinata's expression dropped. She had hoped like everyday before that she would be allowed to see him. The receptionist all of a sudden said "The nurse that does the nightly rounds had to take the night off so I am covering for her. After doing the rounds I feel like taking a short break." Once that was said she walked down a hall. And it wasn't the hall that Sasuke's room was down. Hinata stood there a moment considering what to do. She wasn't suppose to go see Sasuke but there wasn't anyone to stop her now. A few weeks previous she would have left and gone home but right now she just had to see Sasuke. He walked quickly and silently down the hall to the room number she had memorized. She knew it was Sasuke's even though she had never been there. She opened placed her hand on the door and considered leaving. But then she decided that she had already come this far, a peek wouldn't hurt. She opened the door and once she slipped inside closed it behind her. She turned to see Sasuke lying in the bed. Hinata walked over to the bed and looked down at Sasuke's sleeping form. The words "What are you doing here?" coming from Sasuke's mouth startled her. Sasuke opened his eyes and stared at her.

Hinata responded "I wanted to see you. But the nurses said I couldn't see you."

Sasuke responded "I told them to say that." After hearing this Hinata looked like she had been slapped in the face. The two of them were silent for a few minutes. Hinata started fidgeting and here eyes started wandering the room. Her eyes fell upon the Chuunin jacket that was on the chair beside Sasuke's bed. His forehead protector was also there. She had often wondered why he kept that one instead of getting a new one. She didn't like that his had a slash through the Konoha symbol. Sasuke spoke again "I heard that you were the winner of the Chuunin exam." Hinata nodded. Sasuke continued "It's good that you won." The way that Sasuke said it didn't make Hinata feel any better. While it sounded sincere, it sounded so cold. They sat there a while longer in silence but that silence was broken when Sasuke said "You should leave." Hinata stood up and walked to the door. She opened the door and stepped out in the hall pulling the door shut behind her. She took a couple steps from the door then heard a loud crashing sound come from inside Sasuke's room. She rushed to the door and opened it to see the cursed seal covering half of Sasuke's body. The cart with medical equipment that was beside his bed was now in pieces across the floor. Sasuke his head to look at Hinata and said "I told you to leave." Hinata turned and ran down the hall as fast as she could. She passed the receptionist in the hall but kept running without pause on out into the streets of the village. The receptionist was worriedly checking Sasuke to see if he was fine. She then proceeded out of the room to get assistance. Sasuke sat there thinking 'Dammit, I'm weak. If I wasn't so weak I would have been able to beat Kabuto. Even now, I'm here in the hospital. That alone shows that I am weak. I need to be stronger. I have to hide that I am weak. No one can see me like this. Dammit, first Naruto, then Sakura, and now Hinata. Naruto was stabbed by Kabuto but because of my attack I was injured. After tending to me Sakura must think me weak. Hinata also. At least I was able to weaken Kabuto enough so he couldn't hurt Hinata. That's all that matters. If nothing else I want her to stay safe. I have to become stronger. I will become stronger. As soon as I get out of here.'

Hinata ran through the entranceway of the Uchiha manor and down the street. Once home she kicked off her footwear and ran down the hall to her room. She slammed the door closed and collapsed on the bed. Once there she was able to let the tears fall. Raion cracked the door open some so she and her sister could peek in to see what was wrong. Raion looked up at her sister and Tora shook her head. Raion nodded and slid the door back closed.

* * *

Tsunade sat at her desk considering something but was interrupted when Jiraiya entered with an apparently wasted Naruto. She asked what was wrong with him. Jiraiya told that was the reason they were there. Tsunade examined Naruto and told them that he was merely suffering from exhaustion probably due to the extensive training he was undergoing. Jiraiya informed her that the training hadn't been as intense as previously because Naruto didn't seem to be doing as well. Tsunade considered this and said it was probably due to his injury a couple weeks previous. She continued by telling Naruto to rest for a few days before resuming his training. Jiraiya knew she was hiding something from them but decided to leave it alone for the time being. He said "Hey, Naruto that's great news. You have to take a break which means I get to do some more research for my next book." His mirth lessened when Naruto didn't call him a pervert. He lead Naruto out the door and walked him home. Tsunade knew that Naruto was a strong Ninja always wanted to promote him to Chuunin but he really did have a tendency to just mass attack against his enemy which is a Genin level tactic. Even though something was nagging at her about Naruto's problem she went back to thinking about the problem at hand.

* * *

Normally if Naruto was going to take a week off from training he would go chasing after Sakura but she seemed to have become a workaholic. She didn't seem to have time for him. She was always working at the hospital. And when she wasn't working she was reading scrolls or sleeping. He also would have normally been put out by this a little but he too was too tired to do anything. He spent most of his time sleeping and the rest of the time hanging out at his favorite ramen shop. The day that Sasuke was released from the hospital Sakura more or less dragged him along to the ramen shop to try and rekindle their team spirit. Sakura sat down next to Naruto with Sasuke on the other side of her. Most of the time when the three of them were together things just happened to go back to normal but today was different. Naruto looked down and Sasuke, well Sasuke never really had high spirit but he looked more thoughtful this time. Sakura asked Naruto "Are you feeling ok? You don't seem like your usual self."

Naruto told her with a little enthusiasm in his voice "I'm just a little tired after training so hard. I'm just taking a little break. I'll be back to normal in no time." It hurt Sakura to see such a forced smile on his face. She thought that he must be really tired. She wanted to help anyway she could.

"Naruto...If you'd like to come by tonight, you can." Sakura said then blushed a little at the sudden brightening in Naruto's face.

"Really?" Naruto asked not believing what he was hearing.

Sakura nodded but then added "But I have to read over a few scrolls, so it would really just be sitting around doing nothing."

Naruto responded with gusto "That's ok. I haven't really been doing anything lately anyway."

Sakura looked over at Sasuke and worried because he still wasn't acting normal. But then again she didn't know if this was how he normally was now. She hadn't really seen him in almost 3 years. Sasuke glanced at her and sighed inwardly then said "Naruto, are you really such a dunce that you don't have any interests other than training." This elected an energetic response from Naruto. When Sakura saw Sasuke smirk she knew the were still team 7.

* * *

Author's Notes

Well it seems we are all in agreement. I don't write fight scenes too well. I did warn everyone though. And I think it would have been worse to just skip over the Chuunin exam and just say. "Ok, in general this is what happened." Hopefully I will write some better fight scenes in the future. And not crammed together either. I got sick or writing the fight scenes for the Chuunin exam. It has been implied that the characters are OOC. While I have to admit that they are a little OOC, I feel I did a fairly decent job explaining the character growth into the new personalities. Save for a few.

I hope I surprised everyone with having Hinata as the winner of the Chuunin exam. I was going to have Sasuke be the winner but that was too predictable and everyone would have seen it coming. So then I thought I would have Kabuto be the winner since he is suppose to be about as skilled as Shizune but I just couldn't bring myself to have him easily beat Sasuke. So instead I made it so that he was exhausted from the fight with Sasuke and was left open for a trick by Hinata. I only had Hinata beat Sakura for this. It actually took me awhile to consider how I wanted to do the finals. Which too pull off what I wanted to do meant screwing over some of the characters. But we are past this crap so "Omega Boost, it's all good."


	21. Chapter Twenty One

A Possible Future by Jason Corley

Chapter Twenty One

After Naruto and Sakura went off together, Sasuke started walking home. Sasuke thought to himself that he should feel better about having made Chuunin. But he didn't really care. He still felt like he hadn't accomplished anything. Ahead of him he saw Shikamaru and Temari approaching. They didn't seem to have noticed him. They were both so caught up in talking to each other. Sasuke walked right by them. Shikamaru and Temari both turned around but no one they recognized was there. They both wondered what had attracted their attention. Sasuke was slightly annoyed that he was nearly seen. He assumed the technique wasn't working that well because he was still recently in everyone's mind. He liked practicing this move because once he becomes proficient with it he'd be able to walk right up in front of someone and they wouldn't see him. He continued on his way slowly allowing himself more time to think. When he arrived at the Uchiha manor he still had not decided on what he was going to do. He headed to the training area. Once there he started training. Training at his pace instead of Hinata's. He quickly became winded but kept going. He knew the only way to better himself was to push himself. He didn't need someone else to push him. He had been pushing himself onward since he was young. When he was younger Itachi was the one in his family everyone noticed. He was never noticed by anyone other than his brother. He had always been trying to prove himself to everyone for everyone to accept him. But, then his brother killed everyone. What did he have to live for then. But Sasuke wanted to live. He ran to stay alive. He was weak, so he ran. He was still weak. He had to be stronger. What people thought of him wasn't important now. The only thing that was important was to be stronger. The only way he would ever be able to kill his brother was if he was stronger. He had originally left the village to train with Orochimaru to become stronger. Orochimaru didn't train him as much as he had hoped but after all what did it matter if he learned more or not. Orochimaru only wanted his body. Of the ones under Orochimaru's influence, Kabuto was the only one left he couldn't defeat. Sasuke had tried so hard to fight Kabuto because that would have proven to himself that he had become stronger. But he hadn't won. Sasuke leaned up against the training post his legs shaking from exhaustion. He wanted to train till he couldn't move but he knew if he did that he wouldn't make it back to the house so he turned and started walking. Sasuke looked up at the moon staring back down at him. He hadn't realized just how late it had gotten. As Sasuke approached the front door he saw Hinata approaching also. He stopped and waited for her to meet him. When she looked up and noticed him she stopped. She didn't smile. She didn't feel like smiling. Sasuke just stared down at her. She kept averting her eyes. She could never bring herself to maintain eye contact with Sasuke's gaze. Right now she wanted to run away but Sasuke's gaze kept her pinned where she was. Anyone else and she would have run but she just couldn't run away from Sasuke. They stood there silent for a few minutes. When Hinata felt Sasuke's arms pull her close to him, she threw her arms around him like she was afraid he was going to run away. She never wanted Sasuke to leave. When Sasuke held her she felt safe. She felt loved. And it wasn't because he was hugging her. Something in his embrace just made her feel deeply cared for. Even if his eyes and words were cold, his heart was not. And she felt that there were few that knew that. No words were spoken between them. Nothing needed to be said. This was enough for her, and it was enough to bring a smile to her face. Eventually Hinata sniffed and was able to tell that Sasuke had been exercising. Then she thought about it more and could feel in his body that he was exhausted. She said to him "Lets go inside and rest." Sasuke nodded.

Once inside they took off there footwear and Sasuke was attacked by both Raion and Tora. He embraced each of them and then proceeded down the hall to the bathroom to shower. Raion creep after him but was once again stopped. When she turned around to complain to her sister she was surprised to see that it had been Hinata who stopped her. Hinata shook her head and let go of Raion's braid. Raion sat her rump down on the ground right where she was and started pouting. Tora patted her on the head and went to make dinner. Hinata walked to her room to change. When Sasuke came out of the bathroom carrying his clothes, Raion quickly ran up and said "I'll clean those for you master." Sasuke smiled and let Raion take the clothes. He wanted her to be happy. Sasuke walked into the living room and sat down to read a scroll he had lying in there. Hinata came in wearing her silk kimono. She sat down next to Sasuke. She watched intently as Sasuke read the scroll. She moved closer to Sasuke but stopped a few inches away. After a few moments she leaned against Sasuke's arm. When he put it around her she moved closer, right up against him and hugged him. She rested her head against his chest as he read the scroll. She could have but she kept her eyes closed and listened to the steady rhythm of his heart.

* * *

Sakura's mother was more than a little surprised that she had brought Naruto over but Sakura didn't care. Sakura and Naruto were both up in her room which caused Sakura's mother to check in on them more than once. Of course they were doing anything. Sakura was reading over a few medical scrolls while Naruto sat at the table with her. Naruto had his head propped up in his hand and had his eyes closed. Eventually Naruto laid his head down on the table. A while later Sakura looked over and Naruto was asleep. She thought to herself 'Poor Naruto. He's exhausted. I can't make him leave when he's this tired.' Sakura got up to go talk to her mother. She returned having gotten permission for him to stay over only if they kept the door to her room open and pulled a blanket up over him so he wouldn't get cold. Then when she was through studying for the night she got into bed with her clothes on and fell asleep.

* * *

The following morning Naruto woke up in a not too gentle manner. He was clutching at his groin and looked up at a frustrated Sakura with a hurt puppy expression. Sakura said "I can't wake you up any other way. I would have let you sleep but my parents wont let you stay any longer." Naruto got up and followed Sakura out of the house. Sakura told Naruto she was going to the hospital. Naruto decided he was going to resume training. Just basic training until he felt ready to go at it like he was use to.

* * *

Sasuke woke up with Hinata next to him. She had her back to him with his arm draped over her. As he leaned up some, he kissed her on the cheek. She stirred a little and rolled over onto her back. Sasuke bent down and kissed her again. Sasuke felt Hinata return the kiss and after a moment he leaned back and said "Good morning." She smiled at him and said the same. She watched as Sasuke climbed out of bed, then as he pulled on a pair of black pants over his undershorts. She climbed out of bed herself and put the kimono on that was lying on the floor. When she turned around she saw that Sasuke had on a black long sleeve shirt that had the Uchiha clan symbol on the back. She wondered why he was wearing it but didn't give it much thought since she thought he looked good in it. He pulled on his Chuunin jacket and she was pretty sure of the reason. It looked more professional while still having a personal touch to it. She followed Sasuke out into the hall but instead of following him to the living room she walked into her room to change into her uniform. She liked the standard blue with the Chuunin jacket. After the two of them had breakfast with Raion and Tora they proceeded to the main office for there assignments. They looked over the choices and decided to go on patrol together.

* * *

"He seems to be getting better." One sand ninja said to another as they watched as Lee once again sparred with Gaara. Spar meaning Gaara stands there while Lee attempts to hit him. While Lee was still not hitting Gaara his attacks were getting closer. Gaara knew that if this kept up he would eventually be hit. The sand just couldn't move fast enough on its own.

* * *

As the next month progressed Naruto spent most of his time doing basic training. He would think to himself that he was regressing in skill. He knew he still had the skill but whenever he would do anything he would just feel so exhausted afterwards. His stamina that he was known for was gone. He didn't know what to do other than work at increasing it. Even though he didn't really know how to do that, he assume that just training normally would eventually increase it. When he was resting he would usually drop by the hospital. Sakura now had her own cubical and desk at the hospital which allowed her time to study while she wasn't working. While she studied, Naruto would normally keep her company. Most of the time it looked like Naruto was sleeping or half sleeping. She always thought that Naruto had a lot of stamina and just assumed that he was pushing himself harder than usual because he didn't make Chuunin. While she was the rank of Chuunin she never wore the jacket. Most of the time she was wearing a white apron over her clothes and the jacket was just in the way.

During that month Hinata and Sasuke would change between going on patrol and pulling guard duty. But whatever they were doing Hinata could tell that Sasuke was deep in thought. She never asked what it was though. She was just happy that they were together. She would sometimes let her mind wander to the memories that they shared. While she still had what was called her room she never slept there anymore. She didn't even keep her stuff there. She and Sasuke now shared the same room. They shared the same wardrobe and dresser of draws. While they never got as close physically as they had previously it didn't matter. Sasuke would still hold her like the two of them would be together forever and had all the time in the world. Hinata didn't even mind that they rarely kissed. When they did it was filled with affection for each other. Hinata had become use to Tora and Raion. Getting use to Tora was easier than it was with Raion. She had even gotten use to Raion's peculiar habits of running around naked and mimicking a feline. She would even play along with it. Hinata would hold a string above Raion and watch as she pawed at it. While Raion would still cling to Sasuke and lay across his lap, it didn't bother her anymore because it was normal. Hinata would smile at the memories and look over at Sasuke who had the thought filled expression. The only time she didn't see it on his face was when they slept or while they trained. It amazed her that he was able to train with her and add in extra so that it worked him more. When they would finish training they would return home. Sometimes they would bath together sometimes not. While they never did anything, Hinata still loved those times because he would massage her and then hold her till they were ready to get out of the tub. She never knew the thoughts running through Sasuke's mind. Sasuke thought about how best to get stronger. He didn't particularly like his options.

* * *

"Why are we going to the main office? We usually take this day off." Temari asked of Shikamaru.

Shikamaru looked at Temari out of the corner of his eyes and said to her, "I was requested to show up for a meeting with the 5th. Something's up and I thought that I might be able to let you in on it if its important. And if its not then it wont take long and we can stop by somewhere." Temari smiled knowing he thought seemed to be always thinking of her.

When they arrived Temari sat down in the entrance hall to wait while Shikamaru ascended the stairs to attend the meeting he was summoned for. Once he entered he saw several familiar faces. Neji, Tenten, Shino, and Sasuke were all there along with others that Shikamaru knew but not very well. Shikamaru asked "Does anyone know what's going on?"

Neji answered "Only that the hokage requested each of us specifically and not whoever was available." At hearing this Shikamaru nodded.

After a few minutes Tsunade entered the room. She was carrying several large scrolls. She walked to the front of the room and said "I'd like to start by saying that this mission is purely voluntary. We do not have the resources to send a Jounin on this mission but because of the severity I have assemble the most skilled Chuunin." Shikamaru was surprised at being considered one of the most skilled. He knew everyone in here was skilled. Because of the strength required to make Jounin he was pretty sure he would be one of the last ones to make Jounin out of this group. Tsunade continued talking "This mission will most likely take an extended length of time. The path I recommend will lead you through the country of grass into the country of rain and then into the country of stone. I want an accurate account of the forces they have. And if possible anything you can easily acquire from them. But if you get caught then you will be on your own. You will be leaving without any evidence you are from here."

When Tsunade paused Neji got up and said "Then I am unable to do this mission. My eyes alone show I am from here." Tsunade did not stop him as he left but she had actually wanted him to go. With his eyes he would have had the highest chance of success. She looked around the room at everyone there considering what they had been told. Tsunaded then said "If for any reason you don't want to do this. You do not have to do this." Many of the others left without giving a reason leaving Tenten, Shino, Sasuke, and Shikamaru there. Tsunade watched the four of them closely. She saw a tinge of fear in Tenten but a willingness to do it. Tsunade decided to say "If you have any doubt in your ability to do this you should leave." Tenten looked up and saw that the 5th was actually addressing her. She bowed her head in shame and left. Tsunade said "If you have any questions feel free to ask them."

Shino was the first to speak "I'll scout out the country of grass and rain but I'm not going to the country of stone alone."

Tsunade cocked her head and asked "And why is that?"

Shino answered "My clan is known in the country of Stone."

Tsunade understood and said "It's actually the country of Stone we really need to know about, the other two were just an added bonus."

Shikamaru asked "So, why not let Shino go to the country of grass and rain, then send someone to the country of stone?"

Tsunade asked "Are you volunteering for the job?" Shikamaru didn't say anything and glanced over at Sasuke who still looked deep in thought. Tsunade considered the look that Shikamaru was giving Sasuke. It showed that he didn't want to do it but if Sasuke didn't then he would and he was just waiting to see what Sasuke did.

Sasuke asked "Will the person who does this be considered for ANBU if they succeed?"

Tsunade hadn't considered this question. She saw that Shikamaru was trying to figure out why Sasuke asked this. She answered "If the mission is performed successfully I will allow them special training to join ANBU."

Sasuke smirked and said "I'll do it. I'll do all three." Shikamaru sighed in relief upon hearing Sasuke's answer.

Tsunade didn't like the idea of sending Sasuke out to do all three so she said "If Shino wants to let you do all three then I'll allow it but I think he should do the grass and rain while you handle the stone."

Sasuke asked "Will you still allow me to join ANBU if I only scout out the stone?"

Tsunade considered it and nodded. Shino then spoke again, "If Sasuke wants to do all three, he can." Tsunade had not expected this and was worried for a moment.

Sasuke immediately spoke up "I'll do all three."

Tsunade closed her eyes and wasn't happy about the way things had turned out. She didn't really want to let someone who had joined Orochimaru go on a mission this important. The only reason she was going to let him was because of how skilled he was and his Sharingan. "Very well. If you'll come with me I will give you more specific instructions. The two of you are dismissed." Tsunade left with Sasuke right behind her. Shino and Shikamaru walked out after them to go about there own business. Shikamaru descended the stairs and meet Temari in the entrance hall. The two of them headed off to the market square.

* * *

Hinata enter and took her footwear off. She was happy to be home from the day's stand of guard duty. She walked into the room she and Sasuke shared to find Sasuke packing. Panic was the first feeling Hinata felt but she pushed it down asked "Why...why are you packing?"

Sasuke responded as he continued to pack "I have a mission."

While Hinata felt a little better she still didn't like the fact that he was leaving. "H...how long will you be gone."

Sasuke was quiet a moment before answering which worried Hinata. "I don't know. It won't be short."

Hinata asked "Why you? Why not someone else?"

Sasuke answered "I volunteered."

"Wh...why?" asked Hinata but Sasuke didn't answer. Hinata couldn't bring herself to ask anything else she just watched as the man she loved packed and prepared to leave. When he finished packing his bag he walked up to Hinata and pulled her close. Hinata hugged him tightly, burying her face against his chest. She knew she couldn't talk him out of this. She also knew she couldn't stop him if she tried. She just didn't want him to go. Sasuke pulled back some and Hinata thought he was leaving but he tilted her chin up and bent over to kiss her. A tear fell down Hinata's face since this was a kiss goodbye. Sasuke broke the kiss and hoisted his pack on his back and walked quickly out the door leaving Hinata standing there. Tears trickled down her face as she stared at the spot Sasuke had been a moment ago.

* * *

Sasuke stepped outside the gate of the village and looked back wondering if he would return. He was going to have to avoid Jounins in three countries along with avoiding Orochimaru. Sasuke hadn't told anyone that Orochimaru knew exactly where everyone he bit was. Sasuke knew this was going to be interesting.

"Sss sss sss. Having ssecond thoughtss masster?" Hissed Hebi as he poked his head out of Sasuke's pack.

"I was wondering where you slithered off too." Sasuke said as he turned and started walking into the forest.

"Sss sss sss. With thingss peacceful here I thought it'd be ssafe if I left to enjoy mysself." Hissed Hebi as an answer.

"What do snakes do to enjoy themselves?" Sasuke asked.

"Sss sss sss. Hunt of coursse." Hissed Hebi.

"So, why are you back?" Sasuke asked.

Hebi didn't laugh this time as he hissed "You dessired my sserviccess oncce more."

From behind them they heard "Meoww." Sasuke turned to see a tan cat behind him. He turned back the way he was walking and ignored it. Hebi hissed in his ear "It'ss following uss."

* * *

Sakura screamed "What do you mean Sasuke's gone?"

Tsunade in an uninterested tone said "He's gone on a mission. That's all."

Sakura continued to scream "For how long?"

Tsunade answered "That's really up to him."

Sakura couldn't believe this.

* * *

Naruto was lying on the ground trying to catch his breath. Naruto thought to himself, 'This is all that stupid Kyuubi's fault. And what did he mean don't come back until I understand. Understand what? What am I suppose to understand?"

* * *

Temari and Shikamaru were lying in bed when she said "I'm glad you didn't go. I would have missed you."

Shikamaru answered "You're the reason I waited for Sasuke to volunteer." Temari smiled and hugged Shikamaru closely as she laid her head against him.

* * *

When Tora came back from the store she was told by Hinata that Sasuke was gone.

"Have you told Raion yet?" Tora asked.

Hinata shook head "I thought she would be with you."

Tora explained in a somewhat worried tone "Master Sasuke came home and asked us to get some groceries and take care of the place while he was out. I thought it a strange request. When Raion and I walked outside she asked if I could handle the shopping by myself. So I left her here. So if she's not here, then where is she?"

* * *

Author's Notes

Yay, cliffhanger with plenty of stuff to build off of. I guess you could call this the turning point of the story. I think I am going to start wrapping it up. When I said plenty of stuff to build off of I meant plenty for the last half. If I hammer out more than 15 more chapters I will be surprised. I'll get out at least 7 more. I don't know. I might have more to write than I think when I start writing with the intent to bring it to a close. 15 sounds like so little when I've only brought this far in 21 chapters. We will see. But don't worry. When I end with this one I will start another story.


	22. Chapter Twenty Two

A Possible Future by Jason Corley

Chapter Twenty Two

Sasuke looked around and said "I guess there was a reason they choose to call it the county of grass."

Hebi laughed "Sss sss sss."

Sasuke walked out from the forest onto the meadow of grass that looked to stretch to the horizon in one direction and lead to the mountains in other. He heard a cat meow at his feet. He looked down at the tan cat that ran around his feet. He turned his attention back to the way he was headed and wonder when he would come to something resembling a town.

That night it rained. The clouds came in quickly and Sasuke berated himself for not stopping to set up his tent before it started raining. He had just been in such a hurry to get somewhere. He set up his small tent in the rain and got under it to stay dry. Hebi actually didn't care about the rain, he kind of liked it. Sasuke pulled out a scroll to start reading. While instructed not to bring anything that would indicate that he was from the leaf; for example his forehead protector, Chuunin jacket, any clothing with the Uchiha clan symbol, or scrolls from the leaf; he wasn't told he couldn't bring supplies he brought from the sound. He had brought most of the scrolls he stole from Orochimaru. He wanted to keep learning as many techniques as possible because he knew he would need them one day. Sasuke looked up from his scroll and saw the tan cat sitting out in the ran getting drenched. It looked so pathetic with it's fur soaked. He called to the cat but it didn't come. He pulled out a small piece of dried meat that was in his pack and waved it slowly. It caught the cat's attention and it approached. The cat enter he tent and Sasuke let it have the dried piece of meat. She cat shook itself to get most of the water off. It then sat down and started cleaning itself. Sasuke shook his head then returned to his scroll.

The following morning after the rained had cleared Sasuke packed way his tent and continued on his way. The tan cat ever present played with bugs as Sasuke walked while Hebi rode on his shoulders. Sasuke couldn't help but smile at watching the cat bound around.

* * *

Naruto had to pause and catch his breath after training. The whole time he was training Naruto kept thinking about what the Kyuubi told him. Naruto knew he wasn't going to get to talk to the Kyuubi unless he understood the situation. But Naruto didn't know which situation he was suppose to understand. He assumed the situation was the reason the Kyuubi wasn't giving him any power. But he didn't understand why the Kyuubi wasn't giving him any. It felt like it was draining some from him. He felt weaker than when he was younger. Since he could remember he always had plenty of stamina. And when he would perform jutsu he had plenty of chakra to use on the technique. And this was way before he made the deal with the Kyuubi. He thought about it more as he continued training.

* * *

Hinata kept taking guard duty because she wanted to keep a watch for Sasuke. Most Chuunins avoided guard duty and only did it when it was there turn. But with three Chuunins always pulling guard duty that reduced how often one would be called for guard duty. Those three Chuunins being Hinata, Shikamaru, and Temari. Every so often Temari would walk patrol but for the most part she pulled guard duty with Shikamaru. When Hinata finished with guard duty she would return home and train knowing that Sasuke would expect her to retain her ability and not slack off. Even though she knew he didn't expect anything of her and like her for who she was she still wanted to be what he wanted. And since he seemed so obsessed with training she assumed he wanted her to be highly trained. After she training she would stagger back to the house and bath followed by sitting in the living room reading the scrolls that Sasuke left behind. Tora found it amusing that Hinata had adopted the habit of wearing Sasuke's shirts around the house and wouldn't let her wash them. Tora did what Sasuke asked, she was taking care of the place while he was out.

* * *

Sasuke finally came to a town in the country of grass. He passed as a traveler easily. He found this country was just like his own. All the ninjas were proud of the fact and moved about in plain view. Sasuke knew he wasn't here to determine there numbers but there strength. He was going to be here a long time to observe the general strength of the ninjas here. And he had to do this in not just one country but three. Hebi slithered off to observe things in his own way. The tan cat of course just played around near Sasuke and waited to be petted or feed.

* * *

It had been nearly 3 weeks since Sasuke left which was cause for Hinata to be rather anxious for him to return. Hinata still just stood guard on the parapets around the village. She didn't take a single day off. In the three weeks she had learned a couple of techniques from the scrolls she was reading. She knew you had to know the concept behind the move for it to work. And learning these from the scrolls could be difficult. She now understood the importance of being taught at the academy and why those that didn't pay attention had a hard time learning the techniques. She started thinking that she didn't want anyone to have as much trouble with learning techniques as she did. She wanted to make it easier on others.

* * *

Sakura took a day off from working at the hospital and dragged Naruto along with her while she went apartment hunting. She arrived at one that she particularly liked. She said "Naruto, what do you think of this one?"

Naruto had his arms behind his head when he said "It's ok."

The woman showing them the apartment commented "Oh, the two of you are together. I know of some apartments that are better for a young couple. This is really meant for one."

Sakura turned red and quickly said "No, no, its nothing like that. We aren't a couple. Well not like that. He's just tagging along while I look for an apartment." The woman looked at Sakura like she was trying to decide if Sakura was lying.

Sakura had a huge smile on her face while Naruto looked a little tired as they walked down the street. Sakura said in an upbeat tone "I can't wait to get moved in to my apartment. I will finally be away from my mother. This is so great. I've been waiting to get an apartment for so long. You will help me move, right?"

Naruto forced a smile and said "Of course." Sakura missed the underlying tone in Naruto's voice because she was so happy. But even if she had noticed she probably wouldn't have given it too much thought because that is how Naruto seemed to be lately. While he always seemed tired he was getting closer to the way he was.

The citizens of Konoha watched as dozens of Narutos ran down the street carrying varying stuff ranging from small boxes to a bed. Sakura for her part hadn't considered that it would be this easy. She thought they were going to have to make multiple trips. But as it turned out they only made one trip ending with them at Sakura's new apartment. The last of the Naruto disappeared in a cloud of smoke leaving an exhausted Naruto sitting in a chair. Sakura walked into the main room from the bathroom and said "Thanks for all the help." She then noticed that Naruto was asleep. She felt sorry for having made Naruto carry everything. She didn't think it would wipe him out like this. She grabbed the blanket that was lying on top of her bed and placed it over Naruto. She then left the apartment to get the water and electricity turned on.

Naruto's dream lead him to where the Kyuubi resided in him. Naruto walked down the halls in his mind bringing him to the large room with the gate containing the Kyuubi. He walked in and the saw the Kyuubi staring back at him. The Kyuubi asked him 'Why have you come?'

Naruto said 'Why won't you let me use your power. I only used it these last few years. So why not now?'

The Kyuubi laughed 'Only the last few years. You've been using my power your whole life.'

Naruto looked confused and said 'What are you talking about? I never used your power until that time Sasuke almost died.'

The Kyuubi laughed 'I just let you use more than usual. To keep us alive.'

Naruto asked 'If I always had your power then why wasn't I the best at the academy?'

The Kyuubi responded 'it was just enough to let you keep up.'

Naruto was getting mad 'keep up? I was last in my class.'

The Kyuubi answered 'but you stayed in the same class thanks to me. If you had been like you are now would you have been able to keep up?'

Naruto thought about it a moment but didn't respond because he knew he wouldn't have been able to.

The Kyuubi asked 'would you have survived if you had been the way you are now?'

Naruto thought about it. He didn't know.

The Kyuubi roared 'you are nothing without me. You are weak. See what it is like to be like everyone else.' The Kyuubi started laughing.

Naruto woke up before he could respond. He heard the sound of water falling. He looked around and remembered he was at Sakura's apartment. He assumed what he was hearing was Sakura taking a shower. He thought to himself 'Hmm. Sakura showering. No one else is around. She wouldn't know if I took a quick peak.' He got up and proceeded quietly to the bathroom door. He listened more carefully and still heard the sounds of her showering. He place his hand on the door then heard Sakura say "If someone ever peaked at me while I was showering them I would never forgive them." Naruto gulped then let go of the door and walked back into the main room to sit down.

After Sakura finished her shower she walked into the main room and sat down on her bed. The two of them sat in silence. Naruto was thinking about what the Kyuubi had told him before and this time. Naruto broke the silence by asking "Sakura, how did you get to be as strong as you are?"

Sakura was a little confused by his question and responded "The same way you did. Hard work."

Naruto asked "Like what type of hard work?"

"What do you mean?" asked Sakura.

Naruto responded, "When I train I just work at it till I figure out a way to do it then keep doing that. Do you do it the same way"

Sakura shook her head. "I can't do it that way. I don't have the endurance that you do. You seem to have an unlimited supply of chakra. So doing it that way works for you. I think about it a lot before I even start. If I don't know how to do it then it is a waste of energy to try."

Naruto was confused and asked "If you don't even try then how do you ever learn to do it."

Sakura answered "Well, recently I've been reading scrolls which explain how to do it. Then I do what the scroll says. But if I still don't understand it I will ask Tsunade and she will teach me. Then I just do what she taught me."

Naruto asked "But what if you know how to do it. And it just makes you so tired to do it."

Sakura didn't understand why Naruto was asking questions like this but responded "That's chakra control. If you aren't good at chakra control you will expend a large amount to do it."

Naruto asked "So how do you use less?"

Sakura answered "Well, I watch someone who's better than me at the technique and watch what they are doing different. Part of it is practicing at how much chakra you expend while part of it is practicing at how much chakra you release."

"Huh?" Naruto responded

Sakura really did feel like they were back in the academy "Well the amount that you expend is how much you feel you need for the move. And the amount that you release is what you use for the move. The tree exercise and walking on water trains you to control how much you release. Lets say you are only able to stay on top of water for 30 minutes. Increasing that time to 60 minutes would be an example of better control on the amount you expend. Its been argued that that is increasing how much chakra you have. I think its just controlling it though." Naruto nodded as he listened to Sakura. "But you don't have to worry too much about expenditure control since you have so much chakra."

Naruto thought he finally realized what the Kyuubi was talking about after listing to Sakura. The Kyuubi supplied him a seemingly endless supply of chakra but now that he wasn't receiving any he only had his. And since he had grown use to always having a large amount of chakra he never worried about controlling how much he expended. But now he had to learn to control how much he expended. He wondered if that is what the Kyuubi wanted him to understand. Naruto jumped up and surprised Sakura when he hugged her appreciatively. Sakura resisted at first but quickly let him remain because he did actually like it. Her thoughts turned to who she liked more. Was it Naruto or Sasuke. She knew that Naruto liked her. She like him also but she also liked Sasuke who seemed to not have any interest in her. That thought mixed with Naruto hugging her made her suddenly reach her arms around Naruto's waist and hug him back. Naruto wasn't expecting this but he didn't care because he liked it.

* * *

Sasuke was more than good enough to not be noticed by the Genins which allowed him to observe them and see just how strong they were. He was able to observe many of the Chuunins without anyone catching on. So far he was more impressed with the sound than he was with the grass. Sasuke was easily able to move without making any sound and he had been getting even more experience with using the camouflage technique. He knew it originated somewhere in the area because he stole it off a Chuunin from the grass while he was with Orochimaru. The whole time Sasuke observed the grass he had his Sharingan active which allowed him to learn the moves instantly. Sasuke would get nervous when a Jounin showed up since he didn't think he could take one on. But to his surprise he was never once approached by one. When he felt he had learned all he could from the current village he was in he decided to move on to the next village. He still had two more to go in the country of grass before he would move on to the country of rain.

* * *

Lee's fist connected with Gaara's face. When Lee jumped back worried that Gaara would attack him he noticed that Gaara hadn't even twitched. Lee saw that there were cracks on Gaara's face and knew it was the armor of sand. Lee was satisfied that he had connected with Gaara while he was still wearing his weights. And these weren't the weights he had worn the first time he fault Gaara. These were heavier which meant he was that much faster. Gaara had regained a certain amount of motivation to progress. He had even resumed his own practices with sand.

* * *

As the following month progressed spring the cool weather of early spring changed to a normal temperature for the season. The young children of the village now played outside in the welcoming weather. Hinata would watch them from up on the parapets along with guarding the village. She stood there becoming more sure of what she wanted to do. She had been playing around in her head with the idea of becoming a teacher at the academy. But with watching antics of the children it made her want to even more. Hinata watched as a few of the children tried to fly kites but couldn't because there wasn't any wind. She then watched as Temari used her fan to create a current of air that would flow down to where the kids were. The kites took off into the sky and the children laughed with joy. It warmed Hinata's heart to seem them happy. But that feeling didn't last long because then she would want to share it with Sasuke and that made her remember just how long Sasuke had been gone. She knew that Tora was having a hard time with it, not knowing where her sister was but Hinata didn't know how to help.

* * *

For Sasuke the month had been fairly boring but he had lucked out when he saw a Jounin teaching one of his Genins to use the camouflage technique. Sasuke was always using a sound technique to hear better but with his Sharingan he was able to capture how to perform the camouflage technique more effectively. Unfortunately it didn't help much since the technique was based on controlling how much chakra you released. He then watched as the Jounin explained a more advanced technique that built off the previous. It was by far a superior move but the catch was that to sustain it you had to use more chakra or use it more effectively. Sasuke mimicked it as soon as the Jounin preformed it. Sasuke immediately felt the difference. It was better but he was going to have to really concentrate on maintaining it. Sasuke found that he couldn't spy for as long when he did because using both the Sharingan and the new camouflage technique was very taxing on him. Soon after that he left the village and proceeded towards the country of rain. Hebi once again rode on Sasuke's shoulders while the tan cat walked on its own. Sasuke had become use to having it around and it often slept on top of him while he slept.

* * *

Sakura was becoming rather proficient while working at the hospital. Knowing she was working on humans instead of animals made her want to perform with more quality which bestowed upon her a certain amount of grace while performing techniques. It would often memorized Naruto who would watch her practice. Naruto for his part found himself talking more and more with Iruka about controlling the amount of chakra he expended. He would have asked the perverted hermit but he wasn't around. He was never around when he was needed Naruto thought.

* * *

A month later Sasuke was finally approaching what he thought would be the rain country's hidden village. The others he had come across were not them. He also learned why it was called the county of rain. It rained all the time. But he also considered that it was because it was spring. When he got to a distance that he felt he might be spotted he activated the advanced camouflage technique. He didn't walk around with it active all the time like he did with the easier version. He also rarely had his Sharingan active when he was using the advanced camouflage technique because using both drained him so quickly but he would still activate his Sharingan when he expected to learn something. He walked along knowing he wouldn't be seen. He was surprised when he was knocked from the road into a tree. It wasn't a large tree like the ones outside the village of the leafs, it was more like the ones inside. Sasuke looked up at the rain ninja standing above him holding a staff. The rain ninja said "You must not be a very good grass ninja to be using that technique here. I thought they taught all their ninjas that it shows up in the rain. I don't think someone of your skill will be missed." The rain ninja brought his staff down.

* * *

Author's Notes

It appears my story isn't liked that much since its not following the original enough along with the feeling that I have a grudge against Naruto. I guess I need to explain things a little to those that feel this way. First, this is a fanfiction. If you want it to be like the original then don't read fanfiction. Second, I have mentioned previously that Naruto hasn't had a chance to cut loose and kick ass. Third, Naruto's not that smart to begin with and has always had the Kyuubi to rely on. So by adding conflict between him and the Kyuubi forces him to grow as a character which is a good thing. Fourth, Sasuke was always awesome even before he had the Sharingan. Then when he gained the Sharingan with the two marks on it, just made him better. So having the Sharingan with the three marks is just going to make him bad ass. If Sasuke lost the Sharingan he would have to learn everything like everyone else. But you know what, he'd still be better than Naruto because he was better to begin with. If he didn't have the Sharingan Lee, Neji, Tenten, Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari would all be stronger than him probably. Fifth, the Sharingan is probably the ultimate ability for skills while the Kyuubi is probably the ultimate power to have. So perhaps Naruto should learn to control himself before he tries to control the Kyuubi. Just a thought, that's been here for the whole story. And finally, I can't make any more arguments because that would give the rest of the story away. So if something is bother you about my story, say it once. I appreciate it and I will probably explain it away in my story. Twice, "I heard you the first time." More than that, "You are annoying. Get it though your head, it's been dealt with or it's not going to change."


	23. Chapter Twenty Three

A Possible Future by Jason Corley

Chapter Twenty Three

Sasuke rolled out of the way just in time to keep from being hit. And since it seem that the camouflage wasn't working he deactivated it. The staff flew at him again but Sasuke saw it coming and was able to avoid it. He activated his Sharingan so he would be able to better fight the rain ninja. The rain ninja swung a few more times but Sasuke dodged the swings expertly this time. The rain ninja said "So you do have some skill. I guess I'll quit messing around." Once this was said the rain ninja performed a few seals and ended it with thrusting his staff in the air. From the end of the staff shot hundreds of needles into the sky to come raining down upon Sasuke. He knew he wouldn't be able to dodge them all so he quickly performed a few hands seals ending with him clapping his hands together loudly forming the serpent seal which stopped the first few from hitting him but he saw that more were still coming down. So he broke the seal and reformed it, once again clapping loudly which had the same effect. Sasuke repeated this a third time and stopped. The rain ninja was only slightly surprised and said "So, you are a sound ninja. What are you doing way out here?" When Sasuke didn't answer the rain ninja continued. "If you leave, I will let you live." Sasuke smirked but didn't budge because he felt that the rain ninja was trying to bluff him into backing down. The rain ninja didn't like this and started forming hand seals and ended in him throwing his hands in the air. While Sasuke committed the move to memory he didn't see the effect yet. He then saw the rain ninja start performing another set of seals. Sasuke captured that move and noticed the effect right away. When the rain drops hit the rain ninja his skin looked like a pool of water that rain was falling on. Sasuke then felt the reason the rain ninja performed his second move. The rain felt like small needles. Sasuke mimicked the rain ninja and turned his skin into a liquid state. The rain ninja wasn't phased by this strange turn of events. He immediately started performing another set of hand seals. Sasuke wasn't going to wait and started his own set. Sasuke breathed in deep and instead of releasing a steady stream of flame, he blew out a high pressured blast of fire due to the fact that he was screaming in pain. The watery surface that his skin had become was pulled from his body and splashed down on the ground. This left his flesh exposed to the needle rain that was coming down. The sensation of the needle rain didn't last longer than the length of time it took to expel his breath. The rain returned to normal and Sasuke lay on the ground in agony. Hebi poked his head out of Sasuke's pack and saw the charred remains of the rain ninja lying on the ground. Hebi slithered out onto the ground and saw that all of Sasuke's body was bleeding. The tan cat crawled out as well and started running around not knowing what to do. Sasuke muttered soundless words.

Hebi hissed "If you are through withering then perform the sskin to water technique you ussed."

Sasuke knew that if Hebi was telling him what to do he had better do it. Even though Hebi considered Sasuke his master he was still older and wiser than Sasuke. Sasuke did what he was told and turned the outer layer of his flesh to water.

Hebi hissed "I know you copied hiss technique before you toassted him sso do it. Then picture drawing similar water to you."

Sasuke did what he was told. He performed the technique. He didn't know where he was going to draw the water from be he pictured pulling more water like what his skin felt like to him. Hebi and the tan cat watched as a puddle of water was pulled towards Sasuke and was absorbed into him.

Hebi continued "Now stop using chakra for the water skin." Sasuke did as he was instructed and his skin returned to normal.

Sasuke asked "Would that work for any kind of wound?"

Hebi laughed "Sss sss sss. If it did everyone would know it." From that Sasuke knew the answer was no. Sasuke looked down when he felt something against his leg. It was the tan cat rubbing up against him. Sasuke picked it up and held it. Sasuke lower his hand down to Hebi who slithered up Sasuke's arm and into his pack. The tan cat was content to be held by Sasuke as he walked on leaving the rain ninja's corpse where it lay. It was a hollow victory to Sasuke but it was a victory. He had been wondering if the ninja had been a Chuunin or a Jounin. From the fact that he was alive and the rain ninja dead he assumed he had been a Chuunin. Sasuke wondered why there weren't any other guards coming after him but he didn't care. He walked on into the village in search of an inn.

* * *

Sakura had started assisting Shizune with the more complex procedures at the hospital. Tsunade would have done them herself but she didn't always have the time. Shizune was normally the one to assist Tsunade when she was the one performing the operation. Shizune was able to see that Sakura was quickly approaching her own skill level and would probably exceed it. Whenever Tsunade trained Shizune, Sakura now sat in on it also. Both Tsunade and Shizune were amazed at the level Sakura had achieved in such a short time.

* * *

Since Iruka spent most of his time teaching at the academy Naruto wasn't able to train with him much. So, Naruto went in search of another teacher. That teacher being the closet pervert who was also the Jounin assigned to konohamaru and his co-horts. Naruto claimed he was just trying to help konohamaru become a better ninja since he himself had received training from one of the legendary Sannin. Ebisu was able to tell that Naruto was actually hanging around them to brush up on his own skills. Ebisu didn't know what had sparked this Naruto but was glad that he had finally taken an interest in strengthening the basics which would help him excel in other aspects of being a ninja.

* * *

Hinata now knowing that she wanted to be teacher at the academy went to the academy to request a position there. They were happy to except her as a teacher in training. She was required to start sitting in on the classes that were taught and observe the way things were instructed along with assist in any demonstrations. Along with being an assistant to one of the instructors she also had to do extra training to become a qualified instructor. This consumed most of her time which left very little time to advance her own skills as a ninja. This also left very little time for her to think about Sasuke being gone.

* * *

Temari while she enjoyed being with Shikamaru she was growing tired of always standing guard duty. She couldn't understand how Shikamaru could enjoy doing this. Temari decided that she would let him continue pulling guard duty but she was going to have to do something else. She decided to start going on patrol once again. She wanted to do more involved mission but that would take her away from the village and Shikamaru. She considered that it might be time to move on but for now she would let things remain.

* * *

Gaara and Lee now trained extensively together which did not allow Lee to train with his weights on. To keep up with Gaara he had to train full out. Gaara would pull strange stunts with the sand which meant Lee had to stay on his toes. Lee often wondered if Gaara was going easy on him. Kankuro seeing that Gaara was once again more involved was more inclined to come out of the shell he had constructed. Kankuro now had a rather extensive array of puppets to control and he controlled them expertly.

* * *

Tenten and Neji were often sent on mission which drew out a certain amount of expertise in there work. But whenever they were not off on missions Tenten was often found training with Gai. Neji would train Hanabi making sure she would be a strong heir of the Hyuga clan. Tenten often wondered at the types of mission that Gai would be sent on along with the other Jounin. She knew that they were often sent on the missions alone.

* * *

Kiba joined Asuma's team that consisted of Ino and Chouji because Hinata had become a Chuunin. Kiba and Ino's personalities clashed leading them to argue over who the leader of the team would be. They all knew that Asuma was the leader but for the times that he wasn't around they tried to determine who would be leader. Chouji wasn't that happy that Ino paid more attention to Kiba then him even though the two of them were arguing instead of getting along. Chouji always did what Ino wanted. He hoped that she saw that.

* * *

After Sasuke's second run in with a rain ninja he decided to blend in by appearing to be a rain ninja himself since his illusions didn't seem to have an effect. Once again the one he defeated was a Chuunin. Sasuke considered taking the Chuunin jacket also but he felt that would send of a red flag to the village. He took the dead rain ninja's forehead protector and donned it. From that point on he was able to pass unhindered in the hidden village of rain. He had to learn where the different training areas were. He was even asked by one of the Genin rain ninja to train with him. Sasuke agreed because he felt he would give himself away if he didn't. He had to hold back enough to lose while sparring which was hard for Sasuke due to his pride but his life was on the line here and there would be no one to help him if he screwed up. Sasuke spent the next month learning a lot from the ninja's of rain since he was able to conduct himself as one of them. He was surprised he went undetected by the Jounin. One day when he mentioned that to Hebi, Hebi told Sasuke it was because he was emitting a familiarity illusion which was amplified by the forehead protector. When Sasuke asked Hebi to teach it to him Hebi told Sasuke it wasn't something he could teach. Sasuke wondered if snakes had bloodline limits also. Sasuke was starting to wonder why the tan cat always followed him since he wasn't moving in the greatest of conditions. In this country it rained all the time which meant that the tan cat was always soaked. As the month wore on Sasuke had decided he was wearing out his luck at was going to move on the country of stone. Sasuke had learned more in the country of rain than he had in the country of grass. He was now going to be heading into the most dangerous the countries he had been in. He wondered how much he was going to rely on Hebi in the times to come.

* * *

Temari sat down at the table in Shikamaru's apartment and said "Shikamaru, can we talk?"

This broke Shikamaru out of his thoughts causing him to ask "What's wrong?"

Temari responded "Why does something have to be wrong for us to talk?"

Shikamaru knew something was definitely wrong now "Because the only time someone asks 'can we talk?' it means something is wrong. Otherwise you would just start talking. So what's wrong?"

Temari looked uncomfortable and replied "I think we should spend some time apart."

Shikamaru's expression changed to a calculating one before he said "Ok."

"Just like that?" Temari asked a little annoyed.

"Well you obviously don't want to be here. It's just going to bother you more and more if you stay." Shikamaru explained.

Temari responded in an irritated tone "Why aren't you bothered by this?"

Shikamaru replied "You're going to leave no matter what I say. But I would like to know why you want to spend time apart."

Temari answered with the typical phrase that defies logic "If you don't know, I'm not going to tell you."

Shikamaru decided to take a guess but even if he was right she would still say he doesn't understand and leave blaming him. "I would guess it's because you want to go on missions and I don't. But I'm not stopping you from going on missions. You can still go on them. I'm fine with you doing that. We don't have to spend every waking moment together..."

Before Shikamaru could continue Temari interrupted him "So you do want to spend time apart."

Shikamaru was annoyed that he was interrupted and at the inaccurate assumption that because she wants to spend time apart that he must also. "Or maybe it's not the fact that we have different goals as ninja but because if I keep pulling guard duty, I'll stay a Chuunin. And if you go on missions you will become a Jounin quicker, meaning you would be a higher rank. So, perhaps you want to spend time apart because you are more like me than you want to admit and think the man should be stronger."

This was not the smartest thing to say to Temari. She slapped Shikamaru across the face and ran out of the room crying. Shikamaru turned his head back and was happy he had thought to put a shadow guard on his face. He guessed that he was right due to Temari's reaction. If he had been wrong she would have told him so. He sighed to himself and sat down on his bed followed by assuming his thinking stance.

* * *

Once Sakura had started working at the hospital her progress had steadily improved quickly. She still assisted Shizune on procedures instead of leading in the procedures but now she would have been able to do them herself. Maybe not as well but she could do it in a pinch and by continuing to assist she was able to see someone more skilled than her work. She wondered when Tsunade would start teaching her the more complex procedures.

* * *

Naruto was really starting to get the hang of controlling how much he expended. He knew it wasn't anywhere close to the degree that Sakura could do but he knew it was already better than what he had done previously. Naruto felt a little stupid hanging out with Ebisu's team but he continued to do it since he was benefiting from it. Naruto still wondered where the perverted hermit was since he'd be a better teacher.

* * *

Hinata was walking around the room collecting the test papers the students left behind. She was left to watch over the kids while they took there test. This was the first time she had to watch them by herself. Even though it was something as simple as watching them take a test and make sure they didn't cheat she still felt good about herself. Once she had collected all the papers she left the class room and walked to the staff room. Normally the instructor she was helping would grade the tests but she was asked to grade them. She had wanted an answer sheet to check the answers against but she knew she was suppose to know all the answers. And she did. But an answer sheet would have made her feel better. She assumed this was to help build her confidence. Since she had started assisting in teaching she had found a bit more confidence in herself. She knew this was what she wanted to do as a Chuunin. Just a bit more and she would be ready for her own class. She smiled to herself and once again wanted to share the feeling with Sasuke but he was still gone. It had been so long and she worried if something bad had happened to him.

* * *

Sasuke had discarded the forehead protector that had the rain symbol on it. He was now back to being a traveler. The area in the country of stone was a fair amount like that of Konoha just on top of rolling mountains. Sasuke found it easier for him to conceal himself here than it had been in the country of grass and rain. Sasuke had determined that while the ninjas of grass were good at concealment and illusions they weren't that strong. Sasuke had picked up some decent tricks but because he didn't know the limitations of all the techniques, they could still be dangerous for him. All illusions and concealment techniques had there weak spots. Sasuke learned that very well in the country of rain. He assumed that the rain ninjas knew how to detect many of the grass ninjas techniques since they were located so close to each other. While the quality of the rain's Genin appeared lower than that of the leaf's, their Chuunins appeared stronger. Sasuke also thought about the sound and the sand. From what Sasuke could tell the sand had the strongest Genins he had seen. Sasuke would rank the sound Genin at about the same as the leaf's. Sasuke had no idea how the stone ninjas compared but he knew time would tell.

Sasuke was really starting to get tired of this mission. He knew this was just the stepping stone he needed to get into ANBU. And once he was in ANBU it would only be a matter of time till they would hunt down his brother. And he would make sure he was the one to kill him. Sasuke wanted to end this mission to be that much closer to his goal. He also wouldn't mind seeing Hinata and the twins again but that wasn't as important. Sasuke looked down when he heard the tan cat meow. He pulled out a piece of meat and feed it to the cat. Sasuke didn't know why but he was fond of the cat. Sasuke stepped into a clearing and realized he had just stepped past some seals. When they didn't activate Sasuke wondered what they were for. He sensed a shift behind him and he turned around his Sharingan active ready for some kind of attack. What he saw was not an attack but it surprised him no the less. Before him he saw on the ground a very bare Raion crouched down on all fours. Sasuke muttered "Raion?"

Raion looked up frozen in fear realizing that Sasuke recognized her. She knew that she wasn't suppose to be here. She was suppose to be at home but she had followed him. She was afraid that he would be angry with her. "Master. I...I didn't want master to go away again." Once she said this she lunged at Sasuke wrapping her arms around his waist. She started crying into his shirt and repeated over and over "please don't be mad at me master."

* * *

Author's Notes

With each chapter that is released of part 2 of Naruto I look at my story and think "this sucks. I really messed up." I didn't think to make the characters that much stronger. I guess I should have. I'm trying to fix that difference now. I'm also trying to progress them more for things to come. And as some of you have guessed, the tan cat was Raion. I know I said I was going to minimize there part in the story but they will still get there featured moments.

* * *

Author's Response

I received a somewhat decent flame on chapter 22, probably due to my notes there. And I call it decent because it actually lists what's wrong instead of doing what this dumbass in my circuits 2 class does. The dumbass in my circuits 2 class will say something sucks over and over but no reason. And he doesn't even qualify his statement by saying he thinks it sucks. Which if it is an opinion, that's fine. I don't give a rats ass. But when someone starts getting annoying you just want to put them in an arm bar to make them beg and cry followed by actually breaking their arm. But this actually lists reasons. I happen to see it different but it brings up what could be seen as inconsistencies. So lets take a look at them and see if I can clear them up for my story.

"LOL...you really think that kyubi can control what he gives to naruto in term of stamina and so on."

Yes actually I do, since when Naruto requested that the Kyuubi give him power the Kyuubi did so. While it was to save his own hide he still gave it to Naruto. (Granted I don't think it is to the extent I have indicated in my story.)

"This is the seal taking off of kyubi and not kyubi deciding anything."

I guess we'll just have to disagree on this. The seal being taken off allowed Naruto to request the power from the Kyuubi.

"I know this is fanfiction but still. Also, Sasuke never kicked arse before the sharingan. He was good, but not really that much better than naruto was. He had just learnt more things thanks to his parents before their death, and the whole avenger thing."

In my story I wrote a scene or two showing Sasuke was good when he was young but it wasn't anything he couldn't do. And by whatever amount different doesn't matter, he was still better than Naruto. And having learned more means that he's better.

"And last, Kyubi giving naruto stamina means that naruto's chakra control is messed up."

If I remember correct Naruto's chakra control was fragged and that he expended more than others. (Granted I don't think the Kyuubi gives Naruto stamina but it works for the story but nothing says the Kyuubi doesn't add to Naruto's stamina.)

"Ah, i almost forgot. When kyubi had the second set of seal making sure he couldn't help naruto, naruto stil had his stamina and his yellow chakra, while the red chakra was bottled up."

Hmm, well since the first seal just keeps the Kyuubi in Naruto and not contained completely it could be assumed that the second seal was just an extra barrier and didn't contain the chakra completely. Since the second seal also screwed with Naruto's blue chakra not just the Kyuubi's red chakra which is why Jiraiya got rid of it allowing Naruto to magically start doing better, it could be argued that the seal while containing most of the red chakra didn't contain all of it. (As a little note I do actually think the second seal sealed off the red chakra completely along with some of Naruto's but that doesn't work with my story. Both are feasible though.)

"Sorry, this is definitely AU."

And just to nit pick details on this statement once part two of the manga was released it became a divergence but before that happened it was a continuation. I had actually intended to complete this story before Part 2 of Naruto started.


	24. Chapter Twenty Four

A Possible Future by Jason Corley

Chapter Twenty Four

Sasuke stared down at Raion who was clinging to him tightly. Sasuke didn't know how to feel. He was upset that she was here but he was also glad she was here. Sasuke felt like an idiot for not noticing anything strange about the cat. He placed his hand on Raion's head and asked "Where'd you learn to do that?"

From the tone in Sasuke's voice Raion could tell that he wasn't mad at her so she looked up into his eyes when she replied "When master was reading I saw on a scroll that it would tell you how to change into an animal. And since master had dozens of scrolls I thought it would be ok if I read it and returned it later." Raion felt Sasuke's hand grip tightly on her arm causing her to squeak out a cry of pain. Sasuke hearing this let go immediately. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Raion. Raion asked in a meek voice "Did I do something bad master?"

Sasuke pulled his pack off and opened it up. He pushed a set of clothes against Raion's chest and said "Get dressed and next time you want something, ask." Raion looked at the clothes she was now holding. She couldn't question a command from her master. She pulled the shirt over her head followed by pulling the shorts up around her waist. She wondered what she did that caused her to turn back into a human. Even though she wasn't a ninja and she didn't know much about chakra control she knew that she was able to stay in her cat form as long as she didn't ware herself out. She didn't understand since the day hadn't been that tiring. Raion watched as Sasuke examined the seals on the trees and when he spoke her eyes widened, "These seals neutralize all techniques in an area. So, if it hadn't been for these you would probably still be a cat."

Raion was not her usual happy self and spoke in a quiet voice "Master, should I turn back into a cat?"

Sasuke shook his head and said "Now that you are like that, you might as well stay that way." Without saying a word Raion nodded with the decision to be more obedient since she was bad. Because she had been bad, her master was angry with her. When she saw Sasuke look down at her feet she looked down also and realized she didn't have any footwear. Sasuke walked up to her and handed her his pack. "Put this on." She did as she was told and was surprised when Sasuke knelt down and said "Get on." Raion climbed onto Sasuke's back as instructed and she rode piggy back as Sasuke started walking. While she had decided to be more obedient that didn't mean she wasn't going to be affectionate to her master when she could. She hung onto Sasuke lovingly and rested her head on his shoulder. When Sasuke didn't say anything about that she wondered if he had already forgiven her.

As the day wore on Raion became worried because Sasuke had not said anything since she had turned back into a human. She didn't want to say anything because it wasn't her place and she knew that they were in enemy territory. Sasuke continued along with her on his back but he was ever vigilant with his surveillance of his area. He hadn't worried too much when it was just him, Hebi, and a cat but now instead of a cat there was Raion. He had to stay much more alert now to make sure she didn't get hurt. When it was just him he wasn't that concerned that he had walked into a trap but now that he had Raion to worry about he couldn't be as careless about what he did. Especially here since it was suppose to be the more dangerous of the countries he was visiting. Sasuke eventually stopped let Raion down. She seemed slightly sad that she had to get off but wasn't about to complain. Sasuke gathered some underbrush together and used a jutsu to start a small fire. He set up his tent and sat next to the fire. Raion could tell he wasn't as relaxed as he had been the rest of the trip. Not that he was relaxed, just that he was less relaxed than he had been. He seemed quite a bit more stressed and she knew it was because of her.

"Master, I'm sorry I'm such a burden on you." Raion quietly spoke.

Sasuke's eye cut sideways to stare at her. Raion couldn't maintain eye contact and had to look away. When she looked back up Sasuke was looking at the fire. Raion knew he was still mad. Sasuke closed his eyes and they sat in silence. Raion crept over to Sasuke on all fours. She crouched down next to him like a cat would. After a time Raion rolled on to her side and looked up to see that Sasuke was looking at her. She saw in his eyes concern for her but she could also see the anger that she saw earlier. She didn't know what she should do. She watched as Sasuke blew at the fire leaving the fire smaller than it had been, almost like he made it burn itself out some. She then watched as he climbed into the sleeping bag in his tent. She knew she was in for a cold night. After several minutes Sasuke said "Come on, you'll catch a cold if you stay out there like that."

Raion smiled and thought she might cry from knowing Sasuke still cared about her. "Yes Master." Raion confirmed and crawled into the sleeping bag with Sasuke.

Raion eventually heard Sasuke whisper in her ear "Why did you follow me?"

Raion didn't answer for a moment but finally spoke in a meek whisper, "I didn't want you to go. I didn't want you to leave me."

There was a long moment of silence between the two.

"Master are you mad at me?" Asked Raion.

Sasuke didn't answer which Raion took to mean that he was indeed angry. Raion rolled over to face Sasuke and gently nibbled on his ear. She was surprised when Sasuke rolled her on her back very forcefully. She looked up into his eyes which the firelight reflected an intensity she hadn't seen before. She wasn't sure what to think but she felt afraid. When Sasuke spoke there was so much anger in his voice "Do you know how many times I've put my life on the line for you? Huh! Do you!" Raion was only able to whimper before Sasuke continued "Each and every time you or your sister did something I had to come save you! Each time I nearly died. Then after I get you and your sister out, you follow me to Konoha! Then you make things more complicated between me and Hinata!" Raion still couldn't bring herself to say anything in the face of an angry Sasuke. "Maybe I should show you how lucky you've had it! Maybe I should show you what would have happened had I not saved you those many times!" Raion's eyes snapped open. Sasuke grabbed both her arms and pinned them above her head, tying her wrists to one of the support poles to the tent. Sasuke ran a kunai down the front of Raion's shirt splitting it open. Sasuke then started fondling her breasts very roughly. Raion cried out which only drove Sasuke forward with what he was doing. He yanked the shorts off her then pulled off his own pants. He climbed on top of her and bent down to whisper into her ear. A tear fell across her face and she cried out as Sasuke had his way with her.

The following morning Raion woke drenched in sweat. She felt Sasuke's arm wrapped protectively around her and she realized that it was just a dream. She then heard Sasuke whisper in her ear "You were having a nightmare." Raion rolled over to face Sasuke and he asked "Do you want to tell me about it?"

Raion nearly cried as she asked "Do you regret ever saving me and Tora?"

Sasuke felt confused but could tell something had really upset Raion so he replied "What are you talking about? You made life tolerable while in that place."

"But you risked your life for us so many times." Raion argued.

Sasuke smirked and said "If I regretted it the first time, do you think I would have saved you more than once?"

Raion didn't respond right away but then asked meekly "Do you wish we hadn't followed you to Konoha?"

Sasuke closed his eyes and said "It made life complicated."

"Between you and Hinata?" Raion said with a bit of fear.

Sasuke nodded. Raion tried to keep from crying but wasn't able to. As she cried she said "I'm sorry." And clung to Sasuke. Sasuke just pulled her close and said "Don't worry. Everything's alright." This just made Raion cry more.

When her tears started to die down she said "Master, I didn't mean to get in the way. I've tried to get you and Hinata closer. I know both of you love each other. I just wanted to be with you. I love you." Sasuke lifted Raion's chin and kissed her. Tears fell freely from Raion's eyes from joy and she decided that no matter what she would always love Sasuke even if her dream came true because the words that Sasuke whispered to her echoed in her mind "I love you."

* * *

Asuma looked completely surprised and just stared at his old student when he asked "Do you really want me to train you Shikamaru? It's not like you to want to train this much."

Shikamaru with a slightly embarrassed expression said "Yeah, I really want you to train me."

Asuma smiled at the interest that his old student had gained. He hoped that the interest would extend to Chouji and Ino. "Lets get started then."

* * *

With the break between spring and summer coming to a close Hinata anticipated the start of the new term. She was looking forward to teaching, though she wasn't sure if she would get a position or not. She had passed the teaching exams but the final review was up to the hokage. With how it seemed that she barely made Chuunin she wasn't sure if Tsunade would allow he to be a teacher. All she could do was hope and wait. That technique also held true with Sasuke. All she could do was hope and wait.

* * *

To Sasuke's surprise he found that he was able to pass undetected better with Raion than he had expected. Or perhaps it should be said the fact that he and Raion were detected made his passage that much easier. Traveling alone arose suspicion but traveling with a girl that looked at him with loving eyes made the story of being a traveler much more believable. He had bought better clothes for Raion in the first town that they came to. Even though he wasn't able to observe the Ninjas of stone as closely as he would have wanted he was still glad that he had a more believable cover story. With his Sharingan active he was able to capture the techniques that he did observe used. It was much like Konoha in this village in the fact that the Genin didn't seem to mind using there techniques out in the open. Sasuke knew it was because the techniques were of a lower caliber but he was still able to see what the countries typical techniques were. He found Hebi's help to be invaluable because Hebi had the ability to show Sasuke what he was seeing. This allowed Sasuke so see the Chuunins and Jounin of the country of stone in action without putting himself in danger.

One evening Sasuke was sitting with Raion next to him and he asked Hebi "Why didn't you tell me earlier you could do that technique?"

Hebi laughed before responding "Sss sss sss. You didn't assk. Sss sss sss."

Sasuke didn't look very happy at the response so he asked "Then why bring it up now?"

Hebi responded "You needed to do it on your own before. Now you have your sslave to worry about. You needed my sservicce thiss time."

Sasuke nodded understanding that Hebi wanted him to gain the experience but now that Raion was here the situation had changed.

"Ssee you when the ssun rissess." Hebi said slithering into Sasuke's pack.

Sasuke whispered into Raion's ear, "We are being watched."

Raion turned wrapped her arms around Sasuke's neck and pulled close to him to whisper in his ear before nibbling on it, "Then let's make it look like we are traveling together."

Sasuke and Raion retreated to the privacy of their tent. As it was zipped closed a laugh could be heard "Sss sss sss."

* * *

Naruto woke up well rested and proceeded to his favorite Ramen shop. He was looking forward to a big bowl of Ramen to start the day with. He could feel his training paying off. He wasn't using up as much of his chakra as he had been which allowed him more energy over all. He finally felt he was starting to do something right. Naruto lifted the cloth out of the way as he entered the Ramen shop and saw Sakura sitting there.

"I was wondering when you'd get here." Sakura said holding a pair of chop sticks.

Naruto looked from her, to the grinning cook, then back to Sakura and smiled as he sat down next to her.

Naruto said with an amount of mirth "So, you were waiting for me?"

Naruto found himself on the receiving end of a Sakura punch. "That's for making we wait. You should have been here an hour ago."

Naruto laughed "Heh heh, sorry about that."

* * *

Temari walked into the village of the country of Sand and to her surprise found Gaara fighting Lee. She ran forward trying to think of a way to stop them from fighting but she didn't know what she would be able to do. Gaara was so strong.

* * *

Kiba expected to see Shikamaru on the parapets as he left to walk Akamaru but when he didn't see him, he wondered were Shikamaru was. Even though he didn't see Shikamaru he did see Chouji and Ino out for a morning walk. This made him a little sad because he didn't have anyone. This made him think of Hinata.

After walking Akamaru, Kiba decided he would stop by the academy since he had seen her around there lately. As he walked he talked to Akamaru. "What do you think Akamaru? Think she will say yes if I ask her out this time?"

Akamaru barked in response.

"No, what do you mean no? Sasuke's been gone 4 months. Who knows when he'll be back." Kiba argued.

Akamaru whined.

"Well, we'll see." Concluded Kiba.

* * *

Shikamaru was fighting one on one against Asuma and as he expected was losing. As they fought he was trying to figure out why he was doing this for that woman. He had done just fine without her. He didn't even care that much that she was gone. So, why was he doing this. He didn't care about becoming a Jounin. So, why bother with becoming a Jounin. I would just be more troublesome later. He would have to go on harder missions. He wouldn't be able to just sit around pulling guard duty. He would be stuck on the front.

* * *

When Temari ran at them yelling for them to stop Lee and Gaara just looked at her. She was breathing heavily when she stopped.

"Is everything ok?" Lee asked.

"Why were the two of you fighting?" Temari asked.

"We always train together." Lee answered

"Training?" Temari questioned not believing what she heard since when she left Gaara didn't seem to have any interest in training.

"Yes, training with him has been very beneficial to me. I am pleased to have him as a sparing partner." Lee explained.

"I see." Temari said taking in what she had heard. "I'll leave you to your training then." Temari then headed to her home. She walked in and walked up the stairs expecting to find Kankuro but to her surprise he wasn't there. She wondered where he had gone. Well, as long as he went somewhere. That is what is important. Even if it was to get parts for his puppets.

* * *

As he had suspected Hinata was at the academy looking over some scrolls at one of the tables outside the complex. Kiba walked up and sat down across from her.

"Yo." Kiba said casually.

"Good morning." Greeted Hinata.

Kiba then proceed to make small talk in hopes to lighten the mood.

* * *

Raion crawled out of the tent quickly and ran over to some bushes. Sasuke crawled out more slowly and stretched. He looked around and found that they were no longer being watched. Raion came back from the bushes wiping at her mouth. Sasuke asked "Are you ok." Raion smiled and nodded. Sasuke starting packing up the tent since it was going to be a day of traveling.

* * *

Kiba felt this was going to be as good of a chance as any so he asked "So, Hinata. Would you like...to have lunch with me."

Hinata smiled and nodded.

Kiba smiled and said "Great. I'll see you here at noon then?"

Hinata nodded and watched Kiba run off with Akamaru. She frowned slightly when he was gone.

* * *

After Naruto finished his ramen, he and Sakura left the ramen shop, walking side by side. The cook and owner of the ramen shop smiled and let out a small chuckle as he watched the two walk off. Sakura asked Naruto "How's your training coming along?"

Naruto smiled and said "Great. I think I understand now."

Sakura looked a little confused when she asked "Understand now? Understand what?"

Naruto's smile dropped a little but remained for the most part. "Nothing."

Sakura kidded him by saying "That sounds like you." Naruto's smiled returned in full at her remark and he laughed a little.

* * *

Sasuke and Raion walked along unhindered as they made there way through one of the villages in the country of stone. Sasuke thought about how long he had been out here looking at the other countries. It had been a little over 4 months now and he had only covered two of the three countries. And the two he looked at were small. This was turning into a large mission. He really hoped it would pay off when he returned. He would be given special training to join ANBU and then he would be able to go after his brother. Sasuke activated his Sharingan when he saw 3 Genin and their teacher training.

"Why don't we have a seat here and rest a bit." Sasuke said to Raion. When they sat down on the bench, Raion leaned against Sasuke and he put his arm around her. Raion smiled and looked as happy as she could be. Sasuke didn't pay attention to Raion because he was focused on watching and listening to what the Jounin was teaching his three Genin. Sasuke found that while the information itself wasn't that important, it was in the fact that it showed how they compared to the country of fire that was important. Sasuke understood what he was suppose to be accomplishing during his mission but he now understood at a deeper level of what Tsunade wanted to know. With a countries main force being composed of Genin and Chuunin then it would be best to know what the majority of there force knew, instead of what they sent to the Chuunin exams. After they had rested for several minutes Sasuke said "We should get going?" Raion nodded and they both stood up to resume there travels through the country of stone.

* * *

Sakura and Naruto stopped outside of the hospital and turned to look at one another. Sakura was the first to speak. "Well, I have work to do. See you later."

Naruto responded with vigor "And I have training to do." With this Naruto ran off to continue his training. Sakura walked in the hospital and was surprised when the receptionist ran up to her to say "Where have you been? You're needed in surgery." Sakura moved quickly through the halls to the washroom. Once she finished scrubbing she entered the operating room she was expected in. She apologized for her tardiness and was promptly ignored by Tsunade and Shizune. Sakura knew this was going to be a long day.

As for Naruto he was no longer training with Konohamaru and his co-horts. Naruto finally felt like he had earned on his own his Genin status instead of having had the help of the Kyuubi. Naruto fully intended to speak with the Kyuubi in the near future but he wasn't exactly sure how to do that. Naruto didn't worry about it too much since he still had training to do. Naruto performed the shadow clone technique but he still wasn't able to do it to the extent that he could before. Now, the most he could muster was 7 clones. He found fighting against himself to be very good training. The Naruto's argued among themselves making no sense with what was being discussed though Naruto seemed to know what was being said.

* * *

After her morning training session Hinata waited outside the academy at the table she had sat at that morning. She half expected Kiba to be there when she got there but was glad that he wasn't. She frowned at how she expected the conversation to go. Hinata sat down at the table and pulled out a scroll that she had been studying. She didn't want to eat lunch before Kiba got there but she also didn't want to waste time on his account. 


	25. Chapter Twenty Five

A Possible Future by Jason Corley

Chapter Twenty Five

Hinata sat reading a scroll laid out on the table outside the academy and waiting till Kiba decided to come out from behind the tree before saying anything. "Good afternoon." Hinata greeting in a pleasant voice and observed him as he approached.

"Yo." Kiba returned then sat down across from Hinata with Akamaru by his side.

Hinata asked "Where's your lunch Kiba?"

"I figured I'd take you somewhere." Responded Kiba.

Hinata answered in a slightly down cast voice "I see."

Kiba didn't miss this change in tone but wasn't about to back down now. As he stood Kiba said "Come on. I know a nice place. You'll like it." Hinata stared at her bento while she thought about it which caused Kiba to get nervous. He was about to say something but Hinata looked up with a smile and nodded. A huge grin spread across Kiba's face and he nearly shouted. "Let's go." Akamaru barked in agreement as he followed Kiba. Hinata quickly rolled up the scroll she had been reading and slid it into one of the scroll pouches on her Chuunin vest. As she stood up she grabbed her bento to store in her belt pouch. Her smile that she had shown Kiba had fallen now that his back was turned. As they walked along Hinata thought to herself 'Am I doing the wrong thing?'

Hinata and Kiba approached the restaurant with Kiba talking up a storm and backed up by Akamaru. Hinata listened quietly as she always did but interrupted in a polite voice when she took note of the place Kiba was about to lead them into. "Excuse me..."

Kiba paused and looked back at Hinata and asked "What's up?"

Hinata continued "I'm sorry for interrupting but..." Hinata paused and looked back and forth before saying "Isn't this place popular for couples."

Hinata thought Kiba blushed but he covered by saying "Its just a restaurant." Hinata nodded and moved forward to follow Kiba inside. Once inside Hinata was less convinced but she decided to go along with it. The host quickly seated the two of them with Akamaru curled up on the booth beside Kiba. The two of them picked up the menus that were placed on the table in front of them. Hinata glanced at the prices and realized that this wasn't just a restaurant. She looked up from the menu to see Kiba's expression from seeing the prices. Hinata quickly looked over the prices and noticed that it was set up so that if you got a shared dish then it was priced well but if you ordered separately then it was expensive. Hinata broke the silence by saying "Kiba. If you don't mind, then may we get this."

Kiba looked at what it was then at the price and said "Sure, that sounds great. Right, Akamaru?" Akamaru let out a small bark to agree. When the server returned Kiba ordered for them and looked quite pleased with himself once the server was gone. Kiba was strangely quiet and looked around anxiously. Both of them could hear whispers that included one or both their names. Hinata didn't need to look to know who was saying what. When Hinata finally looked up she saw that Kiba had been staring at her. She smiled at him which elected a huge grin from Kiba. Kiba looked off to the side then back to her then to the side when he said "You look good in uniform." When Kiba looked back he could see that Hinata was blushing slightly. Kiba having gained a bit of confidence decided to continue, "And before long I'll be wearing one also. The year's second exam isn't that far away. I'll be ready this time. You'll see. I'll make Chuunin then I'll be good enough for..." Kiba stopped realizing he had almost said too much. He looked around and saw that a lot of the other customers were now staring at him. Kiba didn't like the looks he was being given so he turned his attention towards the table. Hinata still sat quietly listening to Kiba carry on. He had started telling her how he was going to win the tournament this time. Hinata listened carefully at thought that he stood a chance. She felt that it was more than she would have had without Sasuke. That thought made her feel alone even though she was at a nice restaurant with Kiba. Hinata stared at the table and barely listened to Kiba but was brought out of her trance when their dish was placed in the middle of the table. The two of them took their chopsticks and started eating. Hinata took conservative portions while Kiba dug in along with feeding some of it to Akamaru. Hinata noticed that Kiba feed Akamaru with the chopsticks he himself used. Hinata made sure to avoid the places in the dish that Kiba was picking from.

After Kiba paid, both he and Hinata followed by Akamaru left the restaurant. Kiba looked at his wallet but when he noticed Hinata looking at him he shoved it in his pocket. Hinata smiled which same as every time made Kiba grin. Kiba was strangely quiet as they walked along. Akamaru kept quiet also and watch Kiba closely. Once they reached the academy they stopped and Kiba faced Hinata though he couldn't bring himself to look her in the eyes. Hinata stood there patiently waiting for Kiba to speak. Kiba finally looked up with determination in his eyes. Hinata looked back waiting for him to speak since she knew he wanted to say something. Kiba took a deep breath then stated "Hinata. I like you."

Hinata's smiled dropped along with her gaze. She couldn't look Kiba in the eyes when she said "Kiba...I'm sorry. I...I..." Kiba interrupted her by pulling her into a kiss. It was clumsy but he corrected when he kissed her a second time. When the kiss broke Hinata looked to meet Kiba's gaze with a blush reaching across her face. Kiba leaned forward to kiss her again but Hinata placed a hand on his chest and looked down when she said "Kiba...I can't."

Kiba was slightly annoyed and said "What do you mean you can't? Of course you can." Following this he lifted Hinata's chin and kissed her again.

Hinata broke the kiss and said "I'm sorry...I can't..."

Kiba asked with annoyance leaking into his voice "Why not?"

Hinata looked down and meekly said "I...I...Sasuke..."

Kiba interrupted Hinata by saying loudly as he held her at arms length "Sasuke! Sasuke isn't here!"

"Sasuke's...on a mission." Hinata quietly argued.

"Sasuke left!" Kiba argued back.

"Sasuke...will come back." Hinata responded quietly.

"He's gone!" Kiba yelled strengthening his grip on Hinata's shoulders.

"Sasuke...will...come...back." Hinata said through forming tears.

"He's probably dead. And even if he's not, he's not coming back!" Kiba argued.

Hinata dropped to the ground crying openly now. Kiba kneeled down not letting go of Hinata. As Hinata cried Kiba pulled her to him but she resisted by pushing against him. Kiba wasn't going to let her go and held her to him. When Hinata didn't stop crying even when being held, Kiba got angry and lifted her chin to kiss her. She pulled away from the kiss right way but didn't say anything other than continuing to cry. Kiba pushed Hinata on to her back to keep her from squirming and leaned down to kiss her. Kiba found himself being launched across the field outside the academy. Kiba sat up and saw Naruto breathing heavily as he stood between him and Hinata, who had curled up in a ball and continued to cry.

Naruto yelled "What do you think you're doing?" Kiba wiped the blood from his lip and stood up. Kiba didn't respond so Naruto ran forward and punched him in the face but before he could fall Naruto caught him by the collar of his jacket. Naruto pulled Kiba up to look him in the face. "What were you doing to Hinata?"

Something registered in Kiba and he looked past Naruto to see Hinata laying on the ground. Kiba's face paled and he whispered "What have I done." He pulled away from Naruto and ran as fast as he could. Naruto started to give chase but realized Kiba was faster, especially at the moment. Naruto turned around and walked back to Hinata. He didn't know what to do so he squatted down and looked to the side with his eyes closed. He didn't know what to say but he couldn't just leave her there.

* * *

"Are you sure?" Lee asked.

"Yes. I'm sure. And I'm sure you would like to return home for a bit also." Temari replied.

"Well I do but I was almost able to get through Gaara's shield." Lee commented.

Temari tensed for a moment and looked to Gaara who looked calm. Temari said "I'm sure our villages will be exchanging ninja's in the future. You can volunteer when to position become available."

"If this is the completion of this mission then I would like to say it has been nice working with you." Lee said looking at Gaara.

Gaara's gazed shifted to Lee and said "We will continue another time."

Lee smiled and gathered up his pack to head home.

When Lee was gone Gaara walked outside and headed for the desert leaving Temari to wonder what all had transpired in the village of sand since she had been gone. When Kankuro entered, she expected him to be carrying a series of puppet parts up to his room. And as expected he was doing exactly that but unexpectedly Kankuro was being helped by another Genin, who was female. Temari watched them disappear into his room and then she turned back really wonder what all had transpired.

Temari carried her bag up to her room where she stretched out on her bed. She looked around the room at the empty shelves and sighed realizing she left her books at Shikamaru's apartment. "I guess I'll just have to get new ones." Temari said to herself. She thought a bit then continued "I wonder what he's doing right now?"

* * *

Shikamaru walked into his apartment sweating from training with Asuma. Shikamaru unzipped his vest and hung it up before taking off his footwear. As he headed towards the bathroom to take a shower he stopped and looked around at the books that had made a home for themselves on a bookshelf in his apartment. Shikamaru walked over to a dresser that had books on top of it and opened the middle drawer. He found one of Temari's netted body suits and dress. He ran his hand over the fabric and smiled before saying "How troublesome."

* * *

From his crouched position Naruto peaked out the corner of his eye to look at Hinata, who had stopped crying and was now sitting up. Naruto turned his head towards Hinata but didn't open his eyes when he asked "Are you ok?" Hinata stood up suddenly, startling Naruto into falling backwards into a sitting position. He looked up at her and saw determination on her face. Naruto questioned "Hinata?"

Hinata answered in a quiet but definite tone "Sasuke's alive."

Naruto stood up and said in his usual loud but determined voice "Of course Sasuke's alive."

Hinata's gaze shifted to Naruto and she continued "Sasuke will come home."

Naruto shifted his gaze to look at the sky but didn't answer.

Hinata caught Naruto's lack of response and whispered more to herself than to Naruto "And I'll be waiting for him."

Naruto quickly turned his head to look at Hinata, who was now looking at the ground had a slight blush across her face. Naruto's expression saddened somewhat and he looked to the side when he asked in what is quiet for Naruto, "Why does everyone like him?"

Hinata caught this and asked "Naruto...don't you like Sasuke?"

Naruto's expression changed to shocked disgust and he replied in a dead pan voice "That's different."

Hinata asked "How?"

Naruto closed his eyes and crossed his arms to think about it. When he had finished thinking he said "I'm Sasuke's rival and friend. Sakura's my friend but I also like her in a different way also." After a moment of silence Naruto continued "Of course you're also my friend." Hinata looked slightly downcast noticing that Naruto only referred to her as a friend and nothing more. After another moment of silence Naruto said "What was up with Kiba. I've never seen him act that way." When Hinata didn't answer Naruto looked over to her and saw that he shouldn't have said anything because Hinata looked to be in a state of shock at remembering what happened only minutes earlier. Naruto asked in a quiet tone "Would you like me to walk you home?" Hinata could only nod. The two of them starting walking in the direction of the Uchiha manor.

As they walked Naruto noticed the people they passed whispering about them. He couldn't make out what they were saying but it did make him think about it. When Hinata stopped Naruto was brought out of his thoughts and he looked down at Hinata. She said in a polite voice "Thank you."

The two of them stood at the entrance way to the Uchiha manor for moment before Naruto said putting his hands behind his head, "Well, I need to go. I've more training to do." When Naruto turned and walked off, Hinata turned around and walked through the streets of the Uchiha manor. She didn't really look at anything but she couldn't help but see that everything looked nice. Everything had been kept up and it was thanks to Tora. Hinata stopped at one of the flower gardens that Tora had planted. The flowers looked so beautiful. She thought it added life to this once empty part of the village. It still felt empty even though she and Tora lived here. It felt empty without Sasuke. Hinata was even starting to miss Raion. Hinata continued walking but instead of going home she headed to the Uchiha training ground. Once there she jumped into the air, transitioning into a slow flip while pulling out two handfuls of shurikens and then throwing them at all the targets scattered around the training ground. When she landed she looked around to see how many hit. She was glad that they had all hit save for one. Which she could never hit. It was behind a large rock but she knew it could be hit since she had seen Sasuke do it. And unlike Sasuke she had only hit the targets instead of hitting the targets in the center. Hinata charged at the posts and drove a kunai into one then kicking off it into a back flip to throw a group of shurikens at her target. When she landed she jumped into a series of kicks and palm heel attacks. Her training if someone listened closely could be heard long into the night.

* * *

Sakura walked out of the hospital with Tsunade and Shizune. All three were hunched over as they walked. Shizune was the first to speak "What a day."

"I'm so tired." Sakura responded.

"I need a drink." Tsunade stated.

Shizune stood up quickly and said in a loud voice "You aren't going to go out drinking tonight are you?" When Tsunade only smiled Shizune continued "Because of all the wounded today, all of today's work will need to be handled tomorrow."

Tsunade put her arm across Shizune's shoulders and said "You need a drink also."

"But..but..but." Shizune stuttered being drug along by Tsunade.

Tsunade commanded "No buts. That includes you Sakura." Tsunade turned around to see that Sakura was gone. Tsunade squinted her eyes and said "Why that little...Come on Shizune. We have a long night of drinking ahead of us."

Sakura for her part just kept walking once she was out of the hospital. The summer heat was only making her sweat more even though she was already sweating from exhausting herself making sure all the wounded were cared for. All Sakura wanted was to be in bed. When Sakura meet the door she propped on hand on the door as she pulled out her keys. She unlocked the door and walked inside. Sakura kicked off her footwear and as she walked through the dark room she pealed off her clothes. Once to the bed she crawled under the covers for a well deserved sleep.

* * *

Hinata returned home and sat down to remove her footwear. She stood up and walked past the living room, which no one was in, to the master bedroom. As she walked to the wardrobe she unzipped her vest and took it off. She hung it up and grabbed a blue kimono. She carried it with her to the bath room where she undressed and got into the tub to let the stress of the day melt away. As she sat in the tub she couldn't help but let the tears crawl down her face.

Tora stood outside the bathroom with a sad expression but eventually she walked down the hall to her room to find that it was empty like it had been for so long. She suddenly felt a great deal of sadness that her sister wasn't there and as she crawled into bed she too started to cry.

* * *

Sasuke ran along the trail carrying Raion in his arms. She was clinging tightly to him with her eyes closed. Sasuke didn't spare any attention to look back, he frantically scanned the terrain ahead of him. Hebi did draw a little of his attention when he hissed "They are getting closser Masster." When Sasuke didn't answer Hebi hissed "They will kill uss." When Sasuke still didn't answer Hebi hissed "They will kill your sslave."

Sasuke retorted "I won't let them."

Hebi hissed "And how do you plan to sstop them?" When Sasuke didn't answer Hebi hissed "May I make a ssuggesstion Masster." Sasuke nodded so Hebi hissed "Tossss the sslave."

Sasuke looked back at Hebi with his Sharingan active. Hebi only laughed "Sss sss sss. Do you think sstaring at me like that will make it any lessss true? Sshe iss slowing uss down." When Sasuke looked away without saying anything Hebi laughed again "Sss sss sss."

Sasuke ran for several minutes and was beginning to wonder if he would find a place for what he was planning. Using one of his the sound jutsu he had learned Sasuke was able to hear anything that the stone ninja said but they didn't say anything blatantly useful but he listened none the less. He could also hear that three of them were getting tired. He knew that he had run across a team. Sasuke asked Hebi "Is he a Jounin?"

Hebi hissed back "Sss sss sss. Sscared of him?" When Sasuke didn't answer Hebi hissed "Perhapss he'ss a Chuunin."

Sasuke said "I can't take that chance."

Hebi laughed "Sss sss sss. That'ss very ssmart. Of coursse if he iss a Jounin you will have a hard time of thiss."

Sasuke didn't answer and just continued to run. He was running not only to save his life to the lives of Raion and Hebi. Although he felt Hebi would be able to slither off and save himself if worst came to worst. After several more minutes Sasuke said in anger "Damn it, this is why I want to be stronger. I am sick and tired of running away!" Raion opened her eyes to Sasuke's outburst and to their sudden change in movement.


	26. Chapter Twenty Six

A Possible Future by Jason Corley

Chapter Twenty Six

Raion stared into Sasuke's eyes as slid her under the overhang of one of the large rocks he had been running along. Sasuke commanded her "Don't come out till dawn."

Sasuke turned to leave but before he could Raion tugged on his shirt and questioned in a worried tone "Master?" Sasuke turned back to Raion and smiled then leaned down and kissed her. When he broke the kiss he shoved Raion deeper under the overhang then quickly began running again. He only slowed to make sure the team of stone ninjas were following him. As Sasuke ran he pulled off his backpack and rummaged through it. When he found what he was looking for he tossed the pack aside.

Hebi hissed at him "It'ss a good thing I wassn't in there." Sasuke didn't respond, he just made sure to put distance between himself and Raion before he decided to stand his ground and fight. Sasuke strapped a pouch onto his belt then strapped a case to each leg. Hebi rested easily on Sasuke's shoulders as he ran. Eventually Sasuke stopped by a tree and Hebi laughed "Sss sss sss. Let'ss see how they like thiss" Sasuke only smirked.

The team of stone ninja stopped when they found Sasuke leaning against the tree catching his breath. One of the stone ninja tossed a kunai at Sasuke's back and the Jounin yelled "No don't!" But it was too late, for the kunai imbedded itself into Sasuke drawing from the wound a stream of smoke. "Get down!" yelled the Jounin to his subordinates. The Jounin pulled two of the others down with him when he dove to the ground as Sasuke's body exploded sending balls of fire in every direction. One of the stone ninja was caught in the blast and burned alive as he stood there. The body of the stone ninja dropped to the ground. The female stone Genin cried out her fallen comrade's name. While the other Genin called out to Sasuke to quit hiding. Sasuke smirked before pulling on a wire. The Jounin threw the two Genin away from the trap that Sasuke had sprung. The group of kunais that had been launched impaled the Jounin but as Sasuke had expected, had no effect since the Jounin used a replacement technique. Sasuke let loss a group of shurikens as he ran to his next vantage point. The shurikens crossed back and forth causing the two Genin to freeze up in indecision. Sasuke was sure he had them but to his amazement the Genin that he had hit earlier was the one who came to there rescue not the Jounin as he had anticipated. The chard Genin cut the lines that Sasuke had been using to control the shurikens and with them cut the shurikens whizzed harmlessly into the forest. Sasuke quickly altered his direction and found it was the right choice since he just missed being nailed by a pair of kunai. Sasuke jumped in the air performing a lazy flip allowing him time to form hand seals. He completed the jutsu by saying "Katon" and he let out a burst of flame upon the 3 Genin. When Sasuke finished his move he found a rock had appeared out of the ground to protect the Genin. Sasuke threw a kunai with a line attached to it at the rock and started performing hand seals. At the moment the kunai hit the rock, Sasuke flicked the line and performed half of the rat seal, which sent vibrations into the rock causing it to rupture sending shards of rock flying in every direction. Sasuke clapped his hands together forming the serpent seal allowing him to be protected but he saw the stone Genin weren't so lucky. Sasuke immediately dove to the side avoiding the sink hole that formed under him. Sasuke looked around, his Sharingan active but he had still not been able to locate the Jounin. When Sasuke saw one of the stone Genin start to form seals, Sasuke rapidly formed a set of his own and when he landed from his dodge he slammed his hands into the ground causing spikes to shoot up from the ground around the stone Genin. Sasuke saw that the female stone Genin had a stalagmite sticking through her leg and arm. Sasuke was surprised when a foot connected with his face sending him flying into a tree. Sasuke didn't bother looking because he knew the Jounin was descending upon him so he rolled 3 times and launched himself backwards away from the fight. This allowed him time to view what was going on but an instant before he felt a fist plow into his abdomen. As Sasuke fell to the ground, he felt a blade sliding out of him. When he hit the ground he looked up to see a point protruding from the stone Jounin's hand. Sasuke gritted his teeth at the pain but he knew he had to move or he would be killed. Sasuke tossed a handful of dirt into the air followed by performing a sequence of seals ending in the horse seal. When the Jounin saw Sasuke performing hand seals he jumped back but it was too late the dirt that Sasuke threw in the air flew at him and molded around him, dragging him to the ground. Sasuke was up in a flash and running towards the 3 stone Genin. Sasuke let loose a hail of kunai. The female stone Genin wasn't paying attention due to the distraction of the pain in her leg and arm, which was almost severed. She didn't even see the one kunai aimed at her. The other two stone Genin didn't get the chance to be stunned from seeing there teammate fall limp from the kunai imbedded in her chest since when they thought there were safely hidden behind the stalagmites, they weren't expected the kunai to shoot at them as they went by. One of the Genin cried out as a kunai plunged into his arm and one into his side. When he looked over to his teammate he saw him collapsed on the ground with a kunai sticking through his neck. Sasuke having finished the move he learned from watching his brother continued to charge in to make sure they were down but he had left his back turned on the Jounin for too long. Sasuke found out what it was like to be on the receiving end of the stone spikes. His shoulder was impaled on one and his leg had been caught by one. His right arm hung limp while his left leg would spasm. As his blood pulled on the ground Sasuke began writing the script for a scroll on both the spikes jutting through him. When the Jounin approached Sasuke drew a line of blood through the text of both and they disappeared in a puff of smoke to be replaced by a pair of snakes. One slithered out the back of his leg while the other dropped from his shoulder. The two snakes seeing an unknown person attacking the only person in view that could summon them decided to attack the unknown person. Both the Jounin's arms formed shield on them to defend him from the snakes but he was not prepared for the snake that bit down on his neck from behind. From the attack the Jounin allowed his arms to fall, opening himself to the two larger snakes in front of him. Sasuke was glad he didn't stay conscious long enough to see the snakes finish off his opponents. Sasuke didn't wish more pain on them than necessary so he hoped that all of them were dead before the snakes got to them.

* * *

Upon awaking, Naruto sat up and stretched. Naruto placed his hands to either side of him on the bed after stretching or so he thought till he realized one of his hands rested on something softer than his bed. He looked down to find someone in his bed. A sleeping someone lying in his bed next to him. A female sleeping someone with one hand by her head and the other by her side lying in his bed. A female sleeping someone with one hand by her head and the other by her side that he knew lying in his bed. Naruto squeezed his then realized what he did and jerked his hand away. Naruto flattened himself against the wall hoping Sakura wouldn't wake up. When she didn't Naruto looked down at his hand and said to himself "Soft." Naruto then opened and closed his hand several times then said to himself "Real soft." Naruto looked from his hand to Sakura. Sakura choose that moment to roll over startling a already spooked Naruto, who hit his head. Naruto opened his eyes when the pain subsided and was able to see from Sakura's bare back that the sheet had been covering a shirtless Sakura. A trickle of blood started to run down from Naruto's nose. Sakura rolled over again and groaned. Naruto's heart raced. He was sure the beating of it would wake Sakura. The thought of Sakura waking up made his heart race more. Naruto thought he was going to go crazy sitting there watching Sakura sleep. He knew he could stay there forever. She would wake up eventually. Naruto swallowed hard and started to crawl over Sakura to get out of bed. As soon as he was half way over her, Sakura decided to roll over in her sleep, knocking the support out from under Naruto. Naruto attempted to stop himself putting his hand in front of him to stop him from falling on Sakura.

Unfortunately or fortunately for him Sakura reached up pulled him closer and said "Oh Sasuke."

Naruto said in a tone of disbelief "Sasuke?" This was apparently too loud and woke Sakura.

Sakura opened her eyes to see Naruto's face inches away from hers. She asked "Naruto?" As Naruto pushed up Sakura's eyes widened and she looked down at herself then back up to Naruto. Naruto looked down and saw that unlike before his hand was now resting on the bare flesh of Sakura's breast instead of through the sheet. He quickly removed his hand and was for a second able to take in her beauty, right before a fist connected very hard with his head.

Naruto cowered on the floor waiting for the hail of attacks that would befall him. When even after a minute none came, Naruto opened his eyes and turned his head around behind him to see the back as Sakura pulled on her shirt. He let his eyes wonder down her body as he heard a zipping sound to see that she had on her shorts under her dress. She turned around drawing Naruto's attention back up her body. When she sat down on his bed she was in partial silhouette and the words slipped from Naruto's mouth in a quiet sincere voice he rarely used "You're beautiful."

When Sakura turned her head aside with a blush across her face he realized what he had said and stood up in shock. The sweat poured from him as he eyed the door and he wondered how fast Sakura had gotten. Seconds stretched on to minutes and the minutes ticked off on the clock. Naruto stood there ready for whatever Sakura was going to do. Drenched in sweat Naruto opened his mouth to speak but Sakura beat him to it when she said "Don't worry Naruto. It was my fault." Sakura paused a moment before continuing "I was just a little surprised that's all." She then looked to Naruto and smiled. Naruto let out a huge sigh of relief and dropped to his knees letting his head hang there. Sakura cried out "Naruto!" as she jumped up and ran over to him. She knelt down next to him and asked "Are you alright?"

Naruto looked up and chuckled "Heh heh."

Sakura tensed and struck Naruto on the head as she said "Idiot." Then when she realized what she just did she covered her mouth with her hands and said "Naruto, I'm sorry."

Naruto just rubbed his head and smiled as he said "It will take more than that to hurt me."

The two of them then shared an awkward silence as they sat there on the floor. Eventually Sakura said "I'll leave now." Sakura stood up and headed for the door. She stopped with Naruto called out to her.

"Hey Sakura." Naruto then paused building up his courage to ask "Would you like to have breakfast with me?"

Sakura turned around to see the expression on Naruto's face and smiled after saying "Sure."

* * *

"I apologize for troubling you with this Miss Hinata." Tora said Hinata.

Hinata shook her head "Its no trouble."

After a moment of silence Tora asked "When do you think Master Sasuke will be come back? He's been gone a long time."

Hinata shook her head but didn't say anything. They continued to walk in silence but when Hinata saw a familiar face she quickened her pace. When she got closer she called out "Kakashi."

Kakashi turned around holding a book close to his face and said "Hmmm..."

Hinata asked "Have you heard any news about Sasuke?"

Kakashi closed his book and said "We haven't received any reports since he left. But considering the type of mission he is on it is not surprising."

Hinata looked down in defeat.

Kakashi seeing her downcast appearance said "I am sure he will return. And when he does I am sure he will be glad to see you."

Hinata looked up to Kakashi and smiled.

Even though you couldn't see his face you could still tell that Kakashi smiled back before saying "If I hear anything I will let you know."

Hinata said "Thank you very much. I won't take up any more of your time." Kakashi nodded and watched the two girls walk away. He took note of the Uchiha symbol on the back of the kimonos that both the girls wore. Kakashi smiled at seeing this. He then opened his book and resumed reading as he walked in the general direction of the Academy.

Kakashi looked up from his book when he thought he recognized someone he had not seen in a long time. He was interrupted from his thoughts when Gai jumped in front of him. "I finally found you. You have been skipping out on our matches again Kakashi, my rival. I shall beat you today and show you that I am better than you." Kakashi only have listened as he read his book. He knew that eventually Gai would set the rules for this match of theirs and he would play along with it.

Before he knew it Kakashi heard Gai say "You lose. You have to walk around Konoha 100 times."

Kakashi looked up from his book and said "I guess it's a good thing I brought another book today."

When Gai saw the second book that Kakashi pulled out to show him, Gai clenched his fist in front of him and said "Darn you Kakashi and your coolness. I will...Hey! Where did you go." Gai then looked around and saw Kakashi walking off. Away from the academy to walk around Konoha 100 times.

After walking a ways Kakashi looked up from his book and saw Shikamaru sparring with Asuma. He paused to see that Shikamaru seemed to be getting into the fight more than he usually did. Even though he had rarely seen Shikamaru fight he knew that Shikamaru preferred to use his head instead of his fist. To see him actually fighting and working up a heavy sweat was out of the ordinary. Kakashi walked over to the two and asked "You seem really into it today."

Shikamaru didn't respond and just continued to fight but Asuma said "I'm not sure what it is. But something has lit a fire under his butt to make him want to make Jounin."

"Oh?" Kakashi questioned shifting his gaze to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru stopped attacking and answered between heavy breaths "He says...that the only thing...I'm lacking...to make Jounin...is my ability to fight." Before Shikamaru could say anything else he found himself blocking with a kunai to avoid Asuma's attack.

Kakashi said "Good luck" then walked away reading his book.

At a later point in Kakashi's walk he over heard Tora say "Thank you again for coming with me. This made the shopping much easier."

Hinata responded "You don't need to thank me so much."

Kakashi watch the two girls walking away from the market place and towards the Uchiha manor with a bag of groceries in each arm. Kakashi then resumed walking as he read his book. While Kakashi continued he failed to hear "That's the third time he's walked by here since we've been here." Ino complained to Chouji. Chouji only grunted in reply as he continued to stuff his face. "Are you even listening to me?" Asked Ino. Once again Chouji only grunted. Ino sighed in frustration then used her chop sticks to stick a peace of steak in her mouth. Chouji looked up and stared at Ino. When Ino finally noticed she asked "What?"

Chouji said in disbelief "That was mine." The wind swirled a group of leaves around outside the window where Ino and Chouji sat as they stared at each other. Ino gulped and a bead of sweat rolled down Ino's face. Chouji continued "That's the first time you've done that. Do you know what this means?" Ino shook her head without taking her eyes off Chouji. Chouji's eyes filed with determination as he declared "This means war!" Following this Chouji began grabbing food from Ino's plate as fast as he could.

Ino screamed "My food." I vein bulged on her forehead as she scrambled to eat her food before Chouji could it but when she noticed that he was eating more of hers than he was of his she began grabbing more of his food. Chouji seeing the change in Ino's tactics began grabbing some of his own food then but still stone some of Ino's. The other people in the restaurant watched as Ino and Chouji fought over the food at their table. All the while Kakashi continued walking as he read his book.

* * *

Sakura sat staring at the bowl in front of her. She then looked over at Naruto who was sitting at the table in a white t-shirt and blue shorts eating a bowl of instant ramen. Inner Sakura screamed to her 'Does he eat this every morning!' Sakura decided to politely ask "Hey Naruto." When Sakura saw she had his attention she asked "Do you eat ramen every morning?"

Naruto grinned and said "Yeah. Its the best. I eat it with milk instead of water though. It taste better."

Sakura glanced down at her bowl and said "Is that so." She paused then asked "Would you consider eating something else for breakfast if someone else made it?" Naruto stopped mid bit to think about Sakura's question. When he came to a decision he nodded with ramen noodles hanging from his mouth. Sakura turned her attention back to the bowl of ramen then began to eat it. Breakfast past with a certain amount of tension between them along with unsaid words on the part of both parties.

They both stepped outside and Naruto locked the door. To his surprise Sakura grabbed his hand as they walked. Naruto was not concerned with where they were going as he rubbed the back of his head with his free hand and grinned a huge grin that was plastered to his face. Sakura didn't seem to notice or perhaps she was just acting casual but either way she too was smiling as she lead the way, pulling Naruto along.

* * *

"I am here to make my report." Lee declared somewhat loudly causing both Tsunade and Shizune to cringe in pain. Lee noticed and asked in the same tone "Are the two of you alright?"

They both cringed again and Tsunaded asked "You don't happen to have it in written form do you?"

Lee replied "No. I apologize. If you would like I will do so."

Tsunade thought about it and said "If you would."

Lee replied "Yes mam." He then turned to leave, closing the door a bit too loud which caused Tsunade and Shizune to cringe. The door opened and Lee poked his head in to say "Sorry about that." He then closed the door, once again too loud.

Shizune glared at Tsunade and said "It's your fault I feel like this. I never go drinking."

Tsunaded argued back "Who's the one that kept asking for more?"

Shizune put her hand to her head and answered "I don't remember that."

Tsunade looked at a scroll on her desk and said "Wasn't Kakashi suppose to be coming in this morning."

Shizune nodded and replied "He's late as usual."

* * *

Kakashi stops walking to look at the academy, the place where he was suppose to meet the 5th hokage to report his findings. He closed the book he was reading and stuck it into his pouch. When he withdrew his hand he had in it the second book he had brought, which he opened up to read as he resumed walking around Konoha. 


	27. Chapter Twenty Seven

A Possible Future by Jason Corley

Chapter Twenty Seven

Sasuke tensed when he felt a pain in his right arm then he felt in his left leg. Sasuke opened his eyes but they weren't in focus. After a moment he focused his eyes and saw he was in a tent. He let his eye search the tent while he struggled to keep his eyes focused. He sat up only to feel a pain shoot through him and he grabbed at his right shoulder as he tried to keep from making any noise. He opened his eyes when he got use to the pain and tried to control his breathing. Sasuke considered crawling out but he could feel the pain in his leg. He didn't think he would be able to stand on it.

"Sso, you are awake." Hebi hissed.

Sasuke turned his head to look at the snake slithering into the tent. Sasuke turned away and said "I take it they're dead?"

Hebi hissed "Of coursse Masster. After all, you did ssummon thosse two." When Hebi saw Sasuke grimace he laughed "Sss sss sss."

Sasuke didn't think it was funny. He knew what was going to happen after he summoned those two. He knew they enjoyed eating their kills. And if you didn't have anything for them to kill or eat then you had better be able to fight them off. Sasuke felt a little sorry for the stone ninja. Him being there meant that they had died. Sasuke hoped they were all dead before the snakes began eating them.

"Master!" Raion cried as she lunched forward to attach herself to Sasuke. Sasuke inhaled at the sudden pain. Raion let go and said "I'm sorry Master. I'm Sorry. I'm...just so glad...that you're alive." The last part Raion said between tears. Sasuke used his good arm to pat her on the head.

Hebi hissed "What'ss your plan Masster?"

Sasuke smirked "We'll see how much I learned from Kabuto and Sakura."

Hebi only flicked his tongue before slithering out of the tent. Hebi stuck his head back in and hissed "Let'ss go. Masster needss hiss conssentration." Raion looked from Hebi to Sasuke then finally got up to follow Hebi outside.

Once outside Raion sat down on the ground next to the camp fire. "Will master be ok?" Raion asked Hebi.

Hebi hissed in reply "He sshould be. He'ss very sstrong. When he finisshess he will need ssusstinacce. You sshould fixx him ssome ssupper."

Raion nodded her head and stood up suddenly when she heard Sasuke scream.

"Do not fear." Hebi hissed at Raion. Another scream was heard coming from Sasuke. Raion looked down at Hebi with obvious worry in her features. "He'ss healing himsself." Hebi hissed to answer the question Raion didn't ask. After a longer interval a shorter scream could be heard from Sasuke. Raion covered her ears and crouched down in a ball. When Raion opened her eyes she saw Hebi right in front of her. She wondered what he was doing so when all of a sudden Hebi exposed his fangs and snapped at her. She jumped back and screamed. Hebi hissed in command "He will need food. Get sstarted on his ssupper." With this Raion quickly set to work preparing dinner for Sasuke. As she cooked she did her best to drown out the screams coming from Sasuke's tent.

Eventually Hebi hissed "You sshould sserve Masster hiss ssupper now." Raion jumped up overjoyed that she would be able to help Sasuke. When Raion entered the tent he joy quickly changed to fear. Seeing the blood splatter all over the tent and Sasuke scared her greatly.

She shook Sasuke's good shoulder and said quietly "Master. I brought you something to eat." Sasuke opened his eyes and focused them on Raion. He didn't speak though. He closed his eyes and Raion said "Hebi says you need to eat." When Sasuke didn't answer she begged "Please Master. You haven't had anything to eat for two days. And Hebi said that after what you were doing you would need food. So please Master. Please eat." Sasuke opened his eyes and struggled to focus on Raion. When he didn't answer Raion said "If you just open your mouth I can feed you." Sasuke was too tired to argue, so he opened his mouth to let Raion spoon some rice and cooked vegetables into him.

When the bowl was empty Raion quietly said "I'm going to get another bowl for you." When Raion was gone, Hebi slithered in and coiled himself at Sasuke's feet.

"You did a deccent job." Hissed Hebi.

Sasuke weakly replied "I didn't hurt this much when Sakura or even Kabuto used the techniques on me."

Hebi laughed "Sss sss sss. With what Kabuto did, he could have made it next to painlessss for you. He's a bit cruel. He'll let you feel as much pain as possssible without it caussing you to sstruggel. SSakura wass doing her besst to not let you feel any pain."

Sasuke responded weakly "I guess that is where the skill of being a medicnin comes into play."

Hebi laughed "Sss sss sss. That, and they don't make a messss like thiss. Sss sss sss."

Sasuke didn't answer and before any other words could be exchanged Raion entered the tent to continue feeding Sasuke. She smiled at the fact that she got to feed Sasuke. It made her feel useful.

* * *

"I'm heading there now." Sakura said as she left Tsunade's office. Before Tsunade could reply Sakura closed the door. She said under her breath "Slave driver." Sakura looked up to see Hinata standing there and she paled a bit thinking she had been heard.

"Good morning Sakura." Hinata greeted.

Sakura smiled and replied "Good morning. Are you here to see the 5th?" Hinata nodded but didn't say anything so Sakura continued "You might want to be careful. She seems in a bad mood today." Hinata's spirit seemed to darken some at hearing this. Sakura walked past Hinata and said just before heading around a corner "Good luck." Hinata stared at the door before her thinking about what to do. She decided that she had to go in since she already had an appointment and if she ran away from this how would she be able to handle what was to come. Hinata knocked on the door.

Tsunade's voice came from within "Come in." Hinata opened the door and entered. Once inside she closed the door behind her. Hinata walked across the room and stood in front of Tsunade. Tsunaded looked up and said "Ah yes. Hinata. We have a couple things to discuss. I understand you have passed all the tests required to be a teacher at the academy and now all you need is my authorization." Hinata nodded so Tsunade continued "Then we shall get to that but first we have another matter to discuss. I have been informed by the head of the Hyuuga clan himself that you are no longer a member of the Hyuuga clan." Hinata confirmed this by nodding. Tsunade continued "Because of this situation I can not allow you to be a teacher. It would be best if you were part of a clan. It..."

Hinata interrupted her by saying "I am."

"Huh?" Tsunade questioned.

Hinata said "I am part of a clan."

Tsunade said "I know you feel you are part of the Hyuuga clan but since Hiashi himself signed the paper work, I can't make an exception."

Hinata shook her head and said "No. Not the Hyuuga clan."

Tsunade asked "Then what clan do you think you're with?"

Hinata said "I'm part of the Uchiha clan."

Tsunade squinted her eyes slightly at hearing this. "Just because you are staying with the Uchiha, you think you are one of them? I don't remember you getting married."

Hinata said quietly "I'm not. But Sasuke said I'd always be welcome with the Uchiha."

Tsunade propped her chin on her clasped hands and said "But that doesn't make you one of them. And without a clan, I can't let you be a teacher at the academy."

Hinata looked stunned "But...but I worked so hard."

Tsunade replied "I'm sorry but if I let you become a teacher it will send the wrong message to the children you would be teaching."

Hinata started breathing a lot faster.

Tsunaded continued "There are plenty of things that you can do but I'm afraid teaching isn't one of them until you are excepted into a clan." When Hinata didn't say anything for several moments Tsunade said "If there is nothing more, then I need to get back to work."

Hinata turned and walked to the door. When she opened it she asked "Have you heard anything from Sasuke?"

Tsunade replied "No."

Hinata walked out of Tsunade's office and closed the door behind her. Hinata didn't know what to do and found herself walking home in a daze.

* * *

Sakura finished writing on a clipboard and looked out the window. She saw Naruto lying in the grass behind the hospital. Sakura shook her head and walked down the hall.

A couple minutes later she was walking out the back doors of the hospital to approach a seemingly exhausted Naruto. She asked "I know you haven't been training out here. You can cut the act."

Naruto opened his eyes and said loudly "I'm not acting. I'm just taking a short break."

Sakura smiled down at him and said "I'm sure. But do you have to take a break here? You are distracting the hospital staff."

Naruto argued "I'm not bothering anyone. You're the only one that's said anything."

Sakura replied "Like I said. You are distracting the hospital staff."

Naruto glared at Sakura through closed eyes then jumped to his feet with his back to her. "I guess I'll be leaving then."

Naruto started to leave but stopped with Sakura spoke "Naruto. Why don't you come by tonight. I'll make dinner for us."

Naruto turned around speechless with his mouth hanging open.

Sakura turned sideways and said "Of course if you don't want to then that's fine."

Naruto shook his head really fast and tried to convince her "No no no. No no no. That's not it. I'd love to have dinner with you. I'll definitely come."

Sakura turned to walk away as she said "Good. Now get out of here. The hospital staff doesn't need you distracting them. There is enough going on."

When Sakura was out of sight Naruto started laughing to himself and he walked off with his hands behind his head. Naruto continued to chuckle to himself every so often as he walked and the grin on his face wouldn't go away.

* * *

Hinata was a little surprised when she started seeing street lights coming on. She looked around and realized that it was starting to get late. And she was on the opposite end of Konoha. Hinata wondered how she had ended up way over here instead of back home where she had intended to go. She started walking home again only to see Shikamaru approaching. She stopped and waited for him. She could see that he was staggering along. She watched as he climbed the stairs to his apartment before he opened the door. Once he was out of sight she continued walking. Hinata didn't walk that much further before she saw Naruto and Sakura walking along holding hands. She kept her distance from them and couldn't quite make out what they were saying. She didn't realize she used a sound jutsu even after she was able to hear the conversation between them.

Naruto boasted "I'm going to win the Chuunin exam this time."

Sakura sighed then replied "You always say that. Do you really think you are going to win. You'll have to do better than you have. You can't just rush in."

Naruto said "I am going to win on the Chuunin exam and even if I don't, I'm still gonna make Chuunin."

When Sakura looked at him, he had a huge grin on his face. Sakura shook her head at Naruto's attitude before she said "We're here." The two of them walked up the flight of stairs and Sakura opened the door for them. "Come on inside. Oh, don't forget to lock the door behind you."

Once the door was closed Hinata stared at the door for a moment. She decided to keep walking. She didn't care what Naruto did.

Hinata looked up at the night sky and wondered when Sasuke would return home. She was startled when she ran into Shino. He caught her before she could fall and just looked at her. Or she thought he was looking at her. She couldn't really tell because he always wore sunglasses, even at night. Hinata wanted to tell her old teammate about what had been going on but she never felt that she could really talk with Shino. The only person she really felt comfortable with now was Sasuke and he wasn't around. Shino didn't say anything, he just looked at her through his sunglasses. He eventually said "Will you walk with me?" Hinata nodded and fell in step with Shino.

The two of them walked in silence through the streets. Hinata continued to think about her problems and even though they didn't speak she still felt better having someone around. Hinata asked quietly, "Shino? What do you want to do as a Chuunin?"

Shino didn't answer right away but he eventually said "I just want to keep the village safe." When Hinata didn't say anything Shino asked "What do you want to do as a Chuunin?"

Like Shino, Hinata didn't answer right away but when she did she said "I wanted to teach at the academy."

Shino asked "But not now?"

Hinata shook her head and replied "No...It's not that." She paused a moment before continuing, "I can't be a teacher since I don't...have a clan."

Shino didn't say anything since he didn't have anything to say. The two of them continued in silence but when Hinata suddenly stopped, Shino looked back at her. He could see a slight look of fear on her face, so he turned to see why she was staring so intently. He didn't see anything dangerous. All Shino saw was Kiba walking his dog. Shino suddenly looked back at Hinata then back to Kiba. He couldn't believe that Hinata was afraid of Kiba. Kiba slowly walked towards them. When he was only a few yards away Hinata took a step back. This was all that it took to confirm Shino's suspension. He stepped between them not knowing what had caused this but he wasn't going to let it continue. Both Hinata and Kiba looked up to Shino who had moved between them. Kiba was only phased for a moment before he stepped to the side only to find Shino stepped to keep himself between Kiba and Hinata.

Kiba sounded a little annoyed when he addressed Shino but Shino didn't falter. "And what are you doing?" When Shino didn't answer, Kiba continued "You're acting like I'm trying to hurt Hinata?" Shino didn't answer but he also didn't move. Kiba tried once more to get around him but once again Shino moved with him. Kiba's annoyance was showing when he said "Would you just get out of the way. I need to talk to Hinata." Akamaru started growling upon hearing the tone in Kiba's voice. Shino took one step toward Kiba which was enough to make Kiba take a step back. Once Kiba did he looked down and said in a defeated tone, "Come on Akamaru. Let's go home." Akamaru looked up to Kiba but followed him nonetheless. Both Hinata and Shino watched as Kiba walked away from them. When he was out of sight, Shino turned around and looked at Hinata who looked relieved.

Hinata looked to Shino and said "Thank you."

Shino nodded and continued to stare at Hinata. "I'll walk you home." Hinata nodded and fell in step with Shino. For some reason Hinata took note that Shino wore his Chuunin vest under his trench coat. She smiled and thought that it suited him.

When they got to the entrance to the Uchiha manor Hinata said "Thank you. Have a nice night." Shino nodded and walked off. Hinata turned around and walked down the main street of the Uchiha manor. When she got home she found Tora lying on the sofa in the living room. Tora immediately sat up when Hinata came in and said "I'll get dinner started."

Hinata held up her hand before Tora could stand up though and said "I don't feel hungry tonight." Tora watched as Hinata continued down the hall to the bathroom. Tora got up and went to the kitchen anyway.

Several minutes later Hinata came out of the bathroom in a blue Kimono. She walked into the living room and found that Tora had prepared dinner anyway. Hinata smiled to Tora and sat down at the table. Hinata said "Thanks for the food." Followed by picking up her bowl to eat dinner. Tora smiled and started eating her dinner.

* * *

Naruto patted his now full stomach and said "That was good. I wish I could eat a dinner like this every night."

Sakura blushed as she was picking up the dishes and said "You'd get fat."

Naruto looked down at his stomach and asked "Do you think so?"

Sakura turned around sending her dress swaying around her a bit. As she walked to the sink she said "Yes, I think so."

Naruto looked up and grinned. He chuckled a few times and waited for Sakura to turn around. Sakura had been cleaning the dishes and she was starting to get annoyed that Naruto was laughing at something because she wanted to know what it was. She eventually turned around to see a very fat Naruto sitting at the table. Naruto asked "Is this what you were talking about?"

Sakura slapped her hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh. She composed herself and said with a strait face "Yes. You will look just like that if I cooked dinner for you every night."

Naruto grinned and said "I could live with that if I got to eat your cooking every night."

Sakura replied quickly "Well, I wouldn't be able to." When she turned around to continue doing the dishes Naruto dispelled his jutsu and returned to his normal appearance.

Once Sakura finished the dishes she turned around and said to Naruto in a strict voice "Alright. Time for you to leave."

Naruto said in shock, "What? But it's still early."

Sakura said "I don't care. I need to study some hard scrolls tonight. Now out."

As Sakura pushed him along Naruto said "Ok, ok, I'm going."

As soon as Naruto was out the door Sakura closed and locked it. Naruto said to himself "What's her problem?" Naruto made 5 clones of himself and said "Ok! The first one home is the winner!" With this declaration the 5 clones jumped down to the street and took off running towards his apartment. Naruto cried out "I didn't say go!" When he realized they weren't coming back, he too jumped down and took off after his clones.

* * *

Sasuke looked around at the tent. It was clean thanks to Raion. She was now resting her head on his chest. Sasuke stroked her hair and ran his fingers along her braid. Sasuke thought to himself "I'll have to make sure something like this doesn't happen again." Raion lifted her head up and looked at Sasuke. He smiled to her and she smiled back. Sasuke didn't resist when Raion leaned forward to kiss him. She then laid back down on him and promptly fell asleep. Sasuke said "She sleeps so peacefully."

Hebi laughed "Sss sss sss. Unlike you masster."

They were silent for a bit but then Sasuke said "Will you teach me the techniques you know?"

Hebi laughed again "Sss sss sss. I thought you ssaid you didn't want to learn thosse techniquess?"

Sasuke was silent a moment before answering "I need to know them now."

Hebi hissed "If I'd sshown you earlier thiss wouldn't have happened. Sss sss sss."

Sasuke said "We'll talk more in the morning."

Hebi hissed "Yess masster."


End file.
